Mortuum de Nocte
by Booberrychan
Summary: She knew everything about this was wrong. He was cursed to live his life as an outsider. He along with the rest of his kind. She didn't know that the fables were true. She was going to hell for this, how can she possibly love a monster like him?
1. Chapter 1: Mortuum de Nocte

**I just thought that I would try something different and came up with this. I hope that it is not too bad, and that it is enjoyable to read for you. Feel free to review and let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. In case any of you are wondering it is possible that I may or may not be able to update my stories daily anymore, due to school starting. So I am sorry if I take a long time just for one chapter. I will try to update as soon as possible. The following fan fiction will contain: violence, gore, adult themes, and language. Just giving you all a fair warning, for I am stepping out of my comfort zone to write this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

Chapter 1: Mortuum de Nocte

††††

The rain and thunder had not lead up all day. For the entire day, Tifa Lockhart had spent her day as she would normally have any other rainy day. She cooked her famous rice porridge that was known by her regulars at the local tavern that she worked at, and even managed to clean the bar once all of her customers had left.

She was very pleased with all the money she had made that day from all of her paying customers who had sought comfort from the pouring rain. Finishing her normal tasks, Tifa made her way up to her room hoping to get a good night's rest. Upon entering her bed chamber, she was not prepared for the sight that she would soon witness.

"P-please… h-help me…"

A man who had been one of her regulars pleaded as he stretched his arm out to her. He was covered in a pool of his own blood, and looked as though his attacker was still at large, for the blood was still fresh as it pooled and seeped through the cracks of her wooden floor boards, possibly landing in the porridge that she had prepared beneath her for breakfast.

"S-sir, I'm going to get you some help, just… stay right there." She tried to calm her beating heart at the gruesome sight before her. She was capable of protecting herself, everyone in town knew she could, and the local drunks knew firsthand how _well _she could handle herself. But for some man—no—some monster to do such a thing as this was…

'_Dear gods please don't let this beast still be amongst me…' _she prayed as she hurriedly stepped down the stairs hoping to call one of the neighbors for help; along with the constables.

Practically ripping the door of its hinges; stood a shadowing figure in the front of her doorstep, with a streak of lightening flashing across the sky.

Her breath hitched in her chest, and she stood there paralyzed. Striking blue eyes appeared through the darkness which caused her to slowly back away from the shadow. Every step she took backwards seemed to cause the large shadow to move forward, its eyes bearing into her soul in a predatory like way.

"S-stay back…" she threatened, continuing with her slow retreat, leading her to a wall.

'_Damn myself for not lighting those candles. I can't see a thing.'_

The shadowed figure blended into the dark room, only the fire from her porridge was the only luminescence. She felt around the sides of the wall behind her hoping to find an umbrella or a cane—anything for a weapon!

"M-Ma'am!" she snapped out of her fearful stupor, remembering the badly wounded man who was dying in her room. A noise that was similar to a snarl was heard. Judging by her hearing of how close the snarl was, the monster that had made its way into her tavern wasn't very far. In fact it was almost in front of her.

Warm breath was fanned across her face. She turned her head to the side, feeling her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she tried so hard not to whimper and scream. If she had even the slightest chance of this lunatic not being able to see her in this darkness and giving up, then she would rather keep quiet and take that chance.

Tifa got the feeling that she was being lifted up into the air.

'_Is this the work of demons? Oh Gaia, what have I done to deserve this?!'_

The creature that was her biggest fear seemed to be spiriting her away, as she was soon cradled against something warm and soft that in any other situation she was in besides her current one she would find rather soothing.

The alleged monster whisked her out the door leaving the bloodied and battered man to die in excruciating pain. When she was taken outside—still being held in her kidnapper's embrace, she strained as best as she could to see its face through the raining night sky.

When the lightning struck, her vision soon became clear as to what was going on. Her mahogany eyes widened in fear, her grip tightening at the fur she clamped onto turning her knuckles white at the strong hold.

'_This is no ordinary creature or demon… I'm being captured… by a wolf.'_

††††

'_So the tails are true… all those fables about beasts that were half-man half-wolf were true.'_

She couldn't believe it. But yet here her only evidence was, standing before her on both feet. She had no recollection of where it was taking her, or how far they were from the town. From the looks of where they were, it appeared that he had carried her off to a large castle. Its illustrious gothic architecture was very easy to distinguish. This was ShinRa castle. It was the long and forgotten castle that had been said to be haunted by the noble family who enslaved more than half the serfs in Midgar.

The beast soon came to a stop, dropping the dark haired beauty on the cold stone floor. She rubbed her sore bottom, and casted a glare at the creature above her. The chandeliers lights proved to enlighten her vision.

"Well Cloud, what have you brought with you, a mere mortal?" Tifa's mouth was agape. She couldn't believe the sight that was before her. A handsome blonde spiky haired man stood proudly naked, seeming to not even bother in covering himself from the rest of what she presumed were werewolves as well. Quickly turning her head at neck-breaking speed, Tifa focused on the blue-green cat –like eyes that glowered down at her hoping he would not notice her deep blush. Despite her best efforts to keep herself from shivering and cowering under the silver haired man's gaze, she couldn't help but tug on her apron nervously.

'_Cloud? Is that his name? What is going on? And why did he kidnap me?'_ A million thoughts raced through her head as to what her purpose was of being here. But one thought that she couldn't quite place was nagging at her, something about his name seemed all _too _familiar.

"Lord Sephiroth, I have brought this mortal here as a way to take upon your offer in finding myself a mate." Tifa almost choked at hearing the words that came out of the man's mouth.

She wordlessly sounded at the word 'Mate' in question to herself in disbelief.

'_Is he serious? He kidnapped me just so he could…'_ she blushed furiously. She had been offered marriage proposals and other romantic offers before, albeit, some were deemed _lecherous_ ones, she always turned them down. But now, in this situation what could she do? She was in the den of lions. One false move and they could tear her limb for limb.

The silver haired man gave a small laugh, and stepped closer to them. From what she could guess, he was the king of this castle, literally. His black robes and grey armor appeared to be worn out, which meant he was no coward when it came to battle.

"I pardon you. You have proved excellent in my allegiance and are one of my most loyal men." The one named "Sephiroth" seemed to be examining the two as he spoke. She heard Cloud give thanks in his approval before his leader had ventured off with two other men.

"Come." Cloud commanded and pulled her off the floor back into his arms. She began to think that she was better off being dead then to suffer in eternal damnation here in this hell hole.

††††

Silence filled the bed chamber as the now fully dressed man stood before her. She gulped as she took notice of how his eyes seemed to be undressing her out of her apron and dress.

"Do not be frightened, _Tifa_." Something about the way he said her name sent a chill down her spine. He was bewitching her with his good looks and gorgeous glacier eyes.

He stepped towards her slowly hoping not to scare her. She tried her best to keep a straight face, trying her best to find a way out of this place. Spotting a dagger behind him hanging near the tapestries, she decided to make her escape quick and fast. Bolting from the king sized bed, she made a run for it towards the dagger. Large hands gripped her waist tightly, preventing her from grabbing hold of the only weapon that she could find. Cloud pinned both of her arms behind her back in a means to restrain her.

His efforts did not go unpunished though, as Tifa began squirming and thrashing in his grasp. Cloud gritted his teeth and held her even tighter to him to cease her actions. She wasn't much of a threat to him, but she certainly could give him a run for his money if given the chance, and a weapon.

"Let go of me! Let go!" she struggled and fought with him despite the pain her arms had in being withheld from her. She needed to leave, she could not stay here, what would become of her if she stayed here as this devil's whore?

"Woman, be still!" This mortal woman's constant fighting was starting to bore him. He casted a glance at the king sized bed and tossed her to it. Tifa began panting; giving him the filthiest look that she could. Cloud was amused at her constant will to fight; it was one of the things that attracted him to her.

Her skin was as white as snow, which proved to contrast with her hair that was as dark as the night. To him she displayed the perfect picture of a fallen angel. She had the body of a temptress, but the heart of a sister. The way she panted and looked at him with her face flushed and tired on his bed made a feeling of hunger and something else stir within him.

"I do not wish to harm you." He spoke his words carefully to her, trying his best to speak in the language of the mortals. She backed up to his bed post when he sat down.

"I… I want to go home. So leave me be, please!" she shouted at him.

He could tell that she was on the defensive. She knew he could snap her neck if he wanted to, they both knew it, but yet she still continued to fight him.

"I cannot allow you to leave, Tifa." He couldn't read her expression so her continued on.

"I have chosen you to become my mate-"

"-I didn't ask for any of this!"

She found herself pinned to the bedpost, both of her arms held above her head with him nearly breathing down her neck.

"I know you didn't… I did." His voice was strained and almost sad. She couldn't help the way his eyes looked into hers, almost begging for her to accept his offer, if she could even call it that.

"B-but… I don't even know you…" she breathed. His face leaned closer to hers as he searched her eyes, for what she would not know.

"But I know you…" she gasped at his words.

The door flung open to reveal a petite caramel haired woman. She was carrying a few scrolls and parchment paper in her hands.

"Cloud! What's this about a girl…" her voice trailed off as she blinked at the scene before her. Tifa felt her face heat up at the sight someone had to witness, and the way she was deeming this situation.

The woman stared blankly at them, her mouth forming a delicate 'o' before everything clicked. She soon replaced her dumbfounded look with a cheeky grin.

"Oh my Cloud, it is your first time upon meeting each other and already you are going to bed her? Aren't we quite the Casanova?" she teased, earning a grunt from the man who now released Tifa's arms from their vice grip.

"Aeirth, it's not like that. And don't you have something better to do? Aren't you and Yuffie supposed to go over alchemy together?" Cloud scratched his head in irritation. He was embarrassed at being seen in such an intimate way with his new mate, by his best friend no less.

She giggled at his agitated expression, ignoring his comments about her leaving. She could go and perform alchemy later with Yuffie, now was the time to meet his so called "princess" that he always talked about. Besides, Yuffie would definitely want to know about the details to this as well.

"Hello my dear, and welcome to our humble abode." The cheery alchemist curtsied. Tifa watched her in silence unsure of what to think in this situation.

'_I thought that only werewolves were men? I guess that they can be woman as well… then again she might be someone's mate.'_ she bit her bottom lip in deep thought.

"I am Aeirth Gainsborough, although I may not look it, I am a very skilled alchemist and user of witchcraft." She proudly exclaimed. Apparently she wasn't worried about being pegged as a witch.

"Um, nice to meet you," Tifa greeted, earning a bright smile in return; she was happy that she wasn't the only woman in this castle, and Gaia forbid if they were the only women in the castle.

'_Heavens… I hope not, otherwise I'd better take my life before they do.'_ Cloud grumbled, at the greetings being exchanged. Tifa watched closely how he scrunched his eyebrows together when he was upset, followed by a scowl. In some way it made his handsome features even more irresistible to her.

'_Gaia Tifa! Get a hold of yourself, stop acting like some bitch in heat!"_ she mentally scolded herself, as her face turned flush.

"The one that was about to bed you is Cloud Strife." Aeirth pointed to the man sitting by her, having a glare sent her way at her choice of words. Something about that name seemed familiar to her… but she couldn't for the life of her remember where she heard it before.

"Aeirth, out. Now." The petite woman pouted and placed her hands on her hips at his command. Before closing the door she cheerily told them to "Have _fun_!" which cause both of them to flinch at her meaning and words.

Fire clashed with ice as the couple, now left alone, looked at each other. She wasn't used to this sort of _thing_. She, on a man's bed, desired to be taken to the point of no return. She watched as he swallowed the lump in his throat, his Adams apple bobbing in response. The image of her kissing and suckling at his neck appeared in her mind. She blushed at the image, and shook her head, cursing herself for thinking such impure thoughts. She was raised to be a well respected woman, one that her Father was proud to raise. Having lost his wife to the plague and most of the people in her home town, her Father had to fight to sell his merchandise as a blacksmith. Although he was what people deemed as "harsh", he also had a soft side, especially when it came to her.

"Tifa, I don't wish to harm you," he tried to coax her into lowering her defense and succumb to him. But it seemed that she was too stubborn. He noticed how her face was blushing and smirked as she shook her head. He wasn't so dim as to reading people and their body language. The Lycanthrope kingdom depended on reading the other's body language. And hers was coming off to him as seductive as ever.

"I… am sorry," she started, pausing to think of how to choose her next words.

"But I do not wish to be your…" she couldn't bring herself to say it, it was just too embarrassing.

"Mate."

"Yes. I cannot be your… _mate_ or anyone's for that matter," his lips pressed into a thin line at her speech.

"I have a tavern to run, a Father to take care of, and… and a lot of my friends would be worried if they knew that I was missing." She was grasping at straws at this point, the more she rejected him, the more his eyes would narrow.

"You do not have a say in the matter." His voice was gruff and lacked compassion. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; she was being denied freedom was what it was. Out of instinct she slapped him hard across the face, leaving a red mark.

His eyes widened in surprise, before placing his hand to cup his stinging face. He was taken a back at her act of rage.

'_Surely she doesn't think that she can do as she pleases does she?'_ he frowned at her before pinning her beneath him, knocking the air out of her lungs at his fast lunge. She felt helpless as he lay on top of her. His hard toned chest and legs pressed tightly against her soft and fragile one. Gaia, everything about this woman was beautiful to him. He had to restrain himself from tearing off her clothes and take her right then and there as she gasped and panted.

"S-stop! Please! Cloud!" she banged on his chest and struggled against him again, but it proved useless to her.

"I suggest you to not do that. Unless you wish to consummate right here and now." Her pounding fist came to a stop. He was surely joking wasn't he? Seeing her stop made him sigh in relief. They laid their in silence for a few seconds, neither one saying a thing, as they stared at each other, finding new things about each other. Like how he had a little bit of light freckles, and how her dark red eyes, had flecks of gold in them.

Turning over to his side of the bed, he began to shed his clothing, earning an incoherent noise from Tifa. She blushed and stammered as he stripped himself of his dark sleeveless sweater, getting an eye full of well toned muscle that made her want to never turn away from him again. He grinned as she eyed him, wondering if she was aware of the way her pink lips parted cutely. Slowly undoing his buckle, she gulped and pulled herself away from his tantalizing show to focus somewhere else. Cloud unzipped his pants before pulling the sheet over himself, seeing her still in her clothing. He smirked before pulling her back to his bare chest, making her squeal in response.

"C-Cloud! I-I I'm not ready! I can't do this! Let me go!" she tried to get up but to no avail. Spotting his hand that gripped around her shoulders she turned her head and bite down hard, but it proved unsuccessful. He had been used to bites, a long time ago; did she seriously think hers would be stronger than that of a Lycanthrope's?

"Damn it Tifa, I'm not going to do anything! I just want you to rest with me!" she heard him yell.

Tifa stopped and Cloud carefully let her go, watching her closely from behind in case she made a dash at the dagger again. She let her shoulders slump, and fall at her sides. She was tired, she was sleepy, and the fact the rain would not stop gyrated her as the room became even more freezing than it already did.

"Fine I'll rest, but no funny business, just resting." She warned, before turning around looking him square in the eye, trying her best to not let her gaze wonder down his chiseled abs or well built biceps. He nodded in agreement.

"You cannot possibly sleep in that wear though." He pointed at her dress and apron.

As much as she would have loved to argue with him, he was right. The dress and corset would cause her _true _pain in the morning. With a sigh she began to untie the knot in the back of her neck and pull the apron off of her. The blonde haired man stared at her in surprise at her change of character. He thought for sure that she would slap him again or fight even more. But this was a pleasant surprise; then again she had been on her feet all day and was probably well beyond exhausted.

"C-can you… help me?" she asked, gesturing with her hand the corset that peeked at him from underneath the thick fabric of her red dress.

With steady hands, he began to loosen the chords of the constricting garment, with a few quick tugs it came off, freeing her bountiful assets to his viewing pleasure through the confines of white under dress. He felt his mouth go dry at the way her pale skin was shown through the transparent linen dress.

"Don't think that I'll go any less than this." She huffed, pulling the silk sheets of the mattress before sliding underneath them. He was a little disappointed but that wouldn't spoil his mood. He finally had the girl of his dreams in bed, well… not in the way that he hoped, but he'll take what he could get.

"You stay on your side," it sounded like a command, but he waved it off, if she thought that she was the one giving orders then she was _gravely_ mistaken. Pulling her body near his, she stiffened at the warm contact. His body was so warm and inviting in this cold castle, and she was so sleepy that she let allowed him this brief embrace…. At least until morrow.

**Thank you for reading and taking the time to glance at this. Please let me know what you think, for this is my first time writing something like… this. :D review please! And if you have any constructive criticism let me know. **


	2. Chapter 2: Sanctum

**I would just like to take this time to say thank you to all the many people who have enjoyed the story so far. Hopefully I can update this one whenever it is possible. Thank you to all who have read, and I dedicate this chapter to you all. Just a reminder, this story will contain violence, gore, adult situations, and language. You have been warned.**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

Chapter 2: Sanctum

††††

"_Tifa wake up," her mother's voice echoed, sounding as beautiful as the harps that played. _

_Long dark lashes fluttered open, welcoming the beautiful image of her dearly beloved Mother. Pearly white teeth twinkled in the morning light. She smiled at the image of her Mother who sat wearing the same pearl drop earrings that she always did. Although they were expensive earrings—and being lower class people—her Father could never afford such a trinket. She always wondered how her Mother came across them. _

"_I am glad that you're up, are you ready to learn how to play the piano?" Tifa shook her head vigorously, now being fully cured from sleep at her Mother's good news._

_They walked down the steps together, hand in hand. Tifa loved her Mother dearly, having left her family's home with child to marry her Father and bear her. She was a truly remarkable person. She didn't pay attention to what the women in the small village called her; she always managed to turn the other cheek, which amazed her daughter. Settling into the kitchen, her Mother gathered a basket and claimed that they would need to do some shopping before the winter snow fell. _

_As she unlocked the hatch to open the worn down wooden door, a beast like creature appeared before them. Beaming yellow eyes leered down at the two. Tifa held tightly to her Mother's hand, as she stared back into its eyes. _

_Before her Mother had a chance to scream, a slash of the monster's razor sharp claws tore her throat. Spraying dark-red warm liquid onto her daughter and the door frame; her Mother's silent scream escaped through her now torn open vocal chords. Tifa felt herself shaking vehemently. When the monster howled loudly, she dared herself to look at her Mother's limp figure fall on the cobblestone floor._

_Tifa's ear piercing scream was the last thing she heard._

††††

Panting rapidly Tifa sprung up from the bed, her body covered in cold sweat. She thought that her heart was about to burst out of her chest. She took a deep breath, trying her best to steady her frantic heartbeat.

She turned towards the glass window, hearing the thunder boom and drops of rain that continued to rage on.

'_This storm must symbolize something…'_ she thought.

She never believed in superstition or fables; but after the events that she was placed in she wasn't sure what to believe in anymore. The sound of feet pacing the stone floor caught her attention. She could not see in the dark, but she could tell that someone had been up and wandering around the room.

'_Cloud!'_ her heart skipped a beat at her self-proclaimed "Mate" as he growled. Last she could recall, was that they had slept side by side. But for whatever reason he was up—and at this time in the morrow—it must be something that he did not take very lightly.

"Cloud…?" she waited for a noise to be heard, but received nothing but the sound of pacing still.

She was digging herself her own grave to try and feel around for the large wolf, but what could she have done? Certainly she couldn't sleep with him circling around like that. The pacing stopped as she shifted in the bed, trying to be as quiet as possible to approach him. One bare foot made its way to the cold ground, where it was soon accompanied by her other.

Tifa hoped that luck was on her side so that he wouldn't notice her trying to leave. But it seems that the gods did not agree with such intentions.

"Cloud!"

strong large hands gripped her shoulders causing her to halt and allow him to capture her. From their close distance she could hear his ragged breathing. Even though she was unaware of it, he could see her surprised expression. As well defined eyebrows rose in question at his grip.

Cloud cleared his throat before pulling her gently with him towards the bed again. Not a syllable leaving his mouth as he sat her back down onto the spacious warm bed. Tifa felt the bed's weight shift near her.

He was quiet and commanding. Although he spoke solemnly, she found his actions to speak more abrasive and domineering. She tried to collect her thoughts as he pulled her arm down to the bed, making her lie down with him.

"Cloud?" she called afraid of what he might try and do in this situation.

He had made it abundantly clear to her—and the castle, that he wanted her as his mate. Just the word alone can send shivers down her spine. Yet she had never known why he had chosen her, or why he would act so distant towards her now when he had _obviously_ wanted to be the farthest thing from it hours ago.

"Tifa, I am aware that you have of no knowledge of the Lycanthropy kingdom." ignoring her startled voice he continued on, throwing the silken bed sheet over them as he spoke.

"But as of now you are from this point on _mine_, and mine alone." His tone was so possessive that it scared her out of her wits.

'"_His"? I can't believe this. I wish this were a dream but…' _she pinched herself hard enough to leave a bruise, earning a sharp pain in her right arm.

'…_it isn't…'_

"You will sleep with me at all times, and will be by my side when I request of your presence. Failing to do so will be punished _severely_." He heard her gulp in response. He didn't like being the "Bad-Guy". But it was for her safety. She shuffled uncomfortably next to him, making him scowl at her movement away from his touch.

"I am not your little pet. I am human being, I can think for my own." She huffed as she wrapped her arm around the fluffy pillow close to her head trying to go to sleep.

He laughed mentally at her words. She truly was a mortal, always believing that they were the "Master's of the Universe".

'_All you humans are so ignorant. Perish the thought that you can think on your own.'_ He smirked and reached for her dark silken locks. She scooted as far as she could from his touch, almost hanging off the bed. He frowned at this and grabbed a hold of her slim waist, pulling her towards him. The fact that she was being held in such a way by a man—no—a _monster _was nerve wrecking enough! And as far as she could tell he was without clothing too, which made the color return to her cheeks as she felt something press against her lower back.

"S-stop. Cloud I mean it." She warned, but he paid no heed and leaned in towards her neck. She felt her fear grow tenfold as he began to inhale her scent. Callous hands slipped under her breasts bring her even more close to him. His warm breath against her ear caused an unnatural feeling of warmth to pool in her belly.

"I thought I told you to be by my side at all times." His voice came off as lustful and feral to her. She couldn't do this. Not now—not _ever_, and not with _him_! She was fighting with herself trying hard to move, scream, to do something!

"No!" she yelled and broke free from his grasp which surprised them both. She couldn't believe how her body almost betrayed her. This wasn't right. He was evil; he was a perversion of all things good and of Gaia; she couldn't_—wouldn't_—give her soul and body to a foul_ thing_ such as him.

"I don't understand why you resist me. Do you not understand your place?" his voice raised a little in anger. She had no love for this… _thing_. He was like a spoiled child.

"I am not something that you can simply order around. You may howl and show your claws, but you do not scare me. Even if you kill me, I will not scream." Her voice practically dripped with poison. And just as she spoke her words she vowed that if she were to die she would do as she said and not even scream or cry out.

Cloud released a deep growl; his eyes flashed something akin to rage. They both knew that he was furious, he did _not_ approve of her decision at all. His cold blue eyes glowed eerily through the night, making her starting to regret her words. She shrugged off the small doubt that she had and gave him a glare in return.

'_If he wants to play it that way, then so be it.'_ They held each other's gaze, waiting for the other to submit. But neither one was unwilling.

Growing tired of their little game, Cloud grunted and yanked her close to him, going back to square one again. Tifa fought and wiggled in his embrace, which caused him to crush her under his weight. She panted and hit him as best as she could; trying her best not to scream, but breathing soon became an issue. The more she assaulted him with her weak hits, the more he would sink her into the depths of his luxurious bed. She was growing weak, and he knew it, for her struggling became less and less, until she stopped to catch her breath.

"You… are a handful…" he heard himself panting lightly, as he spoke. She couldn't take this anymore.

'_Oh Gaia, please, please, let someone know that I am missing. Barret, Cid, anyone! Please let them know that I'm missing and that they come looking for me.' _

Rolling over onto his side; he watched as her chest would rise and fall, as she tried to calm herself down. He knew it wouldn't be easy. He always knew that she was a fighter, even at heart; it just made things more interesting for him.

"Remember what I said and get some sleep. I tell you these things to protect you. Not to order you around." She turned her head and looked at him. The storm outside had finally stopped.

"I need you to comply with me, or else you will die." He finished, turning to look at her as well.

"I already died."

Her answer puzzled him, _'Was she of the undead? No, the blood that runs through her along with her heart is proof enough.'_ She was very much alive. So what made her dead to the world?

"My life ended when my Mother died," she didn't know why she was telling him this, or why he would care, but something in her heart gave her the decision to tell him.

"I have no need to live in this world any longer. If death is there to welcome me, then so be it. I will embrace it with open arms-"

"-You mortals are pathetic." He cut her off, folding his muscular arms behind his head.

He could feel her heart beat quicken in anger but he didn't care. These humans were all the same, spinning petty little words about death.

She knew _nothing_ about death. She never experienced _true_ pain. She never felt what it was like to watch people cower in fear as you ate their entrails seeing death every day. They were from two different worlds, and they would never understand each other's lives.

"What you believe is of no concern of mine."

She knew that he wouldn't understand. How could she be so naïve as to talking to him about things like: compassion, sorrow, and fear?

He killed without a thought, and murdered all that's good. Why should he understand her feelings?

"Everything about you is of my concern. And don't you dare think otherwise." Her eyes slightly widened at his bold statement.

Silence settled in the bed chamber as neither one wanted to speak, both reflecting on what he just said.

"We should try and sleep." Tifa broke the silence and snuggled into the pillow once more, inhaling his natural scent from the feathered cushion. With a nod he scooted near her.

If he had to work for this, then may the gods have it. The first time in 16 years that he had an actual conversation with her and he blew it. This was all so new to him.

††††

It was the feeling of being shaken that had the dark haired beauty awake from her slumber. Yawning, she took in the blurry vision of her captor.

"Mm? What is it Cloud?" in her half-asleep state she had forgotten about the argument that they had previously before, along with his lack of clothes.

"Tifa, wake up. Its morning and I need you to get dressed so that you can attend breakfast with me."

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and stretched her arms above her head, making a slight moan at the way her body came in contact with the stone cold wall. Cloud thought she was so adorable the way she would stretch like a cat and mewl.

Standing up, he walked to the bureau and opened the cabinets up. She had no idea how much clothes he had. For someone who walked around blissfully unaware of their… body, they sure took great pride in their attire.

Clothing of rich purples, deep grey and blues were on display to her enjoyment. It was quite obvious that he was a noble, for no other serf or peddler could afford such beautiful and eloquent material.

"Quit your gaping and get dressed woman." Tifa blinked in response.

Looking down at the scattered clothes from the night before, she bent down to pick them up.

'_I guess now isn't the time to worry about insecurities of social status'…'_

After a few minutes went by, Cloud stood in front of her, fully dressed—once more in a dark purple sweater and black pants. His waist was adorned with a leather belt and matched with his leather gloves as well. Ruby eyes shifted towards the bandage leading up his arm that was concealed by a glove.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"What?" she clutched her mouth with both hands in embarrassment, she had not meant to speak her thoughts out loud! He gave her a strange look before he shook his head at her antics.

'_I don't understand these mortals at all…'_

After fixing her dress—and thoughts, they both made their way out of the bed chamber and towards the dining hall. All eyes seemed to be focused on her, watching her every move. With each step she took more eyes would follow. She was like a lamb to the slaughter.

"Do not pay any attention." She heard the blonde haired man whisper. Gulping she casted her sight down at her boot covered feet—courtesy of Cloud.

The sounds of music perked her attention.

'_I guess that they take a liking in social events.'_ She thought taking in the sight of the flute players and violinists that stood near the corner of the far left.

'_Who knew?'_

She had to fight the small smile on her face as the thought of such beasts waltzing to the gentlest of music scores danced in her mind. Imagine that, the thought of Cloud dancing like at one of the yuletide parties that she went to. A thought had struck her.

'_Do werewolves even celebrate yuletide gatherings? Or parties?'_ she guessed that she would find out. Preferably long after she had left this diseased castle.

"Ah Cloud, how nice of you to join us," A man with brown hair greeted warmly, he wore a red cloak and black slacks. His eyes were the same color blue as Clouds almost.

"And who is_ this_?" The woman's eyes grew wide, breaking her out of her studious gaze. Cloud cleared his throat, and pulled her closer to him. Something about the way he held her close to him reminded her of a pup's mother who would stand in front its young before anyone could touch it.

"This, Genesis, is my Mate." Genesis gave a slight chuckle and patted Cloud on the shoulder, congratulating him. Getting the feeling that she was being watched, she peeked through her lashes to catch the eyes of Sephiroth and some other men who looked like they were his brothers, staring back at her.

Cloud watched closely how Genesis observed Tifa. He hoped things would all go according to plan. Knowing Genesis he would get a good look at her and back off. He knew they were being watched. Her scent could be smelled a mile away. Sooner or later he would have to introduce her to the castle as "His" and nothing but "His". So it was better this way to tell everyone now.

With a slight nod, the brown haired man, took leave and headed off where Sephiroth was. She felt herself chill at the way Sephiroth's eyes never left hers. It was almost as if he was daring her to glance away from him.

"Listen," her head snapped up at his command.

"You can only be seen with Aeirth, or me. Everyone here is watching you." Tifa felt her heart pounding dramatically at his words. Glancing around her she could see conversations that people took as they stood around. He was in fact correct.

All of these demons were watching her. Cloud led them both to two vacant seats on the large wooden table. As much as she could not stand him, he was her best chance at surviving this place. Until the chance to flee came in her grasp.

"Cloud, Tifa!" Aeirth cheerily addressed them and took a seat besides her. Tifa gave a silent prayer in thanks to Gaia for not letting Sephiroth seat next to her.

"So how are you? Did you _sleep_ well?" the alchemist asked, trying to act innocent at what her implications were at "Sleep". Cloud sighed at his friends questions and removed his napkin from his silver ware. She never did quit.

"I… I slept pretty well." Tifa kindly responded as she copied her elbow partners actions in preparing herself to feast as well. She had not had dinner and she was starving. After all the trouble she had gone through in the past, it wouldn't hurt for her to have something to eat from them would it?

"Well I hope he didn't keep you up _too_ late." Cloud almost choked on the wine that he was drinking.

'_Out of all the things to say…' _he made a mental note to have a "talk" with his friend later on.

"Isn't Yuffie going to arrive here soon?" he asked irritably, hoping to change the conversation. Aerith snickered at her friend's attempt to steer her away from his business.

"Yes, yes, she'll be here. She's just-"

"I'm here~" a bubbly voice announced herself, causing annoyed looks to shoot her way.

Seating besides Aeirth, she leaned forward to say "Good Morning" to all who were by her. When she saw a pair of new eyes look at her, she blinked in confusion.

"Are you new? Aeirth, Cloud, since when did we do recruitments?" a grunt and a giggle was answered at her question. Tifa felt self-conscious at the way the female's violet eyes examined her.

"Hmmm… she's a looker alright, yep, yep." Tifa blushed.

"Umm… thank you, I guess?" the girl studied her more, having her lower lip stick out in deep concentration.

"Oh! You're the one Aeirth was talking about!" she exclaimed rather loudly, earning a 'shush' from her friend.

"Yuffie! Keep it down!" Yuffie pouted at her fellow colleague, and turned back to the dark haired mortal.

"So, it seems that Cloud really couldn't keep his paws to himself, huh?" Cloud scowled at the short haired female and leaned over to confront her.

"I didn't do_ anything_ to her Yuffie. So I would appreciate it, if you kept your nose out of my business." He gritted, ignoring her glare.

Tifa sighed in exasperation, _'These two fight like a cat and a dog…'_

Before either one could say anymore, the call for breakfast to be served was announced. Tifa's mouth began to water at the images of rich and exotic food flood her mind.

'_These people are nobles, so certainly they must have all types of meat and breads!'_ Silver platters were carried out onto the table. The smell of food filled her nose, wetting her appetite even more.

She shuffled in her seat, trying to get a glimpse as to what she would be eating at the far end of the table. But with too many people blocking her view she gave up and settled with her imagination instead.

"You must certainly have a healthy appetite." She looked at Cloud who gave her a small grin. She didn't think it was obvious.

'_Maybe his senses picked up on my stomach growling, or something?'_ she mused; taking a sip of her wine to help appease her hunger.

As if reading her thoughts, he leaned close enough for her to hear him chuckle.

"It's because you keep drooling that lets me know that you're starving." She stammered at his response and wiped her mouth, to see the back of her hand covered slightly in saliva.

'_How embarrassing…'_ he smiled at her beet red face. She was everything he thought she would be and more…

The silver platters stood before them, almost in a taunting manner, beckoning her to reveal its surprise. When the breakfast was revealed, she heard her silver ware drop to the floor.

There lied in front of her was a serving of the rarest and bloodiest cattle she had ever seen. It looks as though it had just been killed and brought to eat this morning. It made her stomach queasy knowing that one of them had just maimed and hunted this battered thing.

"Something wrong?" Cloud asked. setting his plate that was now filled with a good serving. Tifa stared at the blood that trickled around the plate.

She covered her mouth and felt herself convulse, the smell of raw flesh filing the room. She looked at the people who sat across from her, they all ate at their servings like wild dogs, even going as far as to eat off of others, thus, earning a growl.

Looking at the two females next to her, she saw that they weren't much better. Yuffie happily chugged down her wine and bloodied meat. Aeirth ate more gracefully and took small sips of her wine as well. These people—all of them—they were sickening to watch. They weren't people they were all cursed souls.

Tifa pushed her chair out, the chair scrapped against the stone floor making a loud noise. Ignoring the monster's stares, she ran out of the room. She had to leave, she didn't care where, but anywhere was better than here.

Cloud cursed and threw his napkin down, chasing after her.

"I'm guessing she's not much into "rare" meat, huh?" Aeirth gave her friend a wry look.

††††

"Tifa!" Cloud called out to her, but she kept running. If she were lucky she could make it out of the castle and into the woods. Hopefully she could lose him there.

"Tifa!" he called again, his footsteps sounded closer. She ignored him and picked up her pace—which was hard to do so in his large boots. Slipping in a mud puddle, she fought to get back up and ran. She had to get to the woods, it was her best bet. Nature seemed to conspire against her though, as the mud grew thicker and thicker, the result of the previous rainstorm.

When she made it into the woods she knew she couldn't stop there. He was sure to find her. He was a predator after all. And searching for her wouldn't take long. She ran farther and farther into the thicket of the forest, before she finally stopped for a breather.

A rustle in the bushes caught her attention.

'_Please don't be him. Please don't be him.'_ Her heartbeat was loud in her ears. She was on edge, praying that he wouldn't find her.

A small black bird flew out from the bush and chirped as it flew into the sky. She sighed in relief, happy that her suspense was over, and that she had not been found.

Tifa took in her surroundings, the sounds of nature being heard, as birds chirped and whistled in the trees. She slowed her breathing down and leaned her arm against a tree trunk. It was cloudy out which seemed to not please her in the very least at the weather.

'"_Cloud"... who would name someone that?'_ she frowned. There was something about his name that would constantly nag at her. Like something she forgot to do. She would find herself searching through her memories, wondering where she had heard that name before…

"Hello,"

Her eyes widened in fear.

One of the men who she saw with Sephiroth stood before her. He looked just like Sephiroth… almost. But his short hair proved otherwise.

Her fears arose when she saw him entrap her in his arms, placing her in his prison. He grinned and inhaled her scent. This was bad.

"You wanna' play?" he teased as he caressed her cheek with his hand, her body shivered at his touch. He was cold and unfriendly. Where was Cloud when she needed him?

'_No. I'm a big girl. I can take care of this guy myself.'_ Clenching her fist she was preparing herself to give him the greatest punch that she could. With a flash, her fist swung and was caught in mid-air. He chuckled at her pathetic attempt to harm him.

"Do you really think a mere mortal can harm me?" he seethed, crushing her fist in his vice grip. She winced in pain as his hold was practically breaking her bones.

"She can't." both heads turned to see Cloud standing behind him.

"But I can." And with that, Cloud grabbed the arm that was holding Tifa's fist, and ripped it off from her. She breathed his name in shock. He came. After everything she did, he came to save her. She felt her heart swell that he came to her safety.

"Hm. Fine by me, I haven't had a good sparring partner in a while." The silver haired man challenged, turning his back to the helpless girl against the tree.

Cloud's eyes narrowed as he watched Loz circle him. He was well aware of his _tactics_. He knew that he was interested in Tifa from the moment he caught him eyeing her with hunger. With a dash, Loz lunged at the blonde werewolf, but Cloud held his ground matching him blow for blow. Tifa's eyes darted back and forth at the all out brawl. They were going at it like animals.

"Leave now, Loz." Cloud's voice was strained through his panting but still remained commanding as he always spoke. His opponent grinned before fixing himself. She couldn't believe what had just happened! Weren't they at each other's throats?

Neither one said a thing as Loz made his way back to the castle. Tifa stared at his retreating form still in shock over what just happened. She was being picked up, and before she could register what was going on, Cloud carried her over his shoulder like a potato sack and made his way back as well.

"H-hey I can walk! Cloud put me down this instant!" she banged on his chest, kicking and screaming profanities at him. But he remained silent before throwing her to the floor.

She made a pained sound and opened her mouth ready to give him a piece of her mind, but the words never came out.

He stood there with bruised arms and cuts from his previous battle and panted before sitting on a rock. She felt her heart drop at the way he held his badly injured arm, it was because of her that he got hurt.

Crawling towards him, she attempted to take a look at his arm with both of her hands outstretched to it. But he denied her and with a huff he turned away from her and cradled it towards his chest more. She frowned at this. She reached out towards it again, paying no attention to the low growl that he made in the back of his voice and pulled his arm to inspect it of any serious injury.

Cloud gasped at her soft and delicate hands that held his arm so gently. The look in her eyes showed him that she was sorry and regretted what was done to him. He turned his gaze down to her mud covered hands. Even though they were covered in mud, he still found them to be quite soft.

'_I can get used to this…'_ he smiled at the thought of her tending to all of his wounds like this every day.

"There's no real damage, but when we get back… I'll fix them up for you." He blinked down in response.

'_When we get back? Does that mean…'_ his face brightened at hearing this.

"You'll stay with me?" her eyes looked up into his, her face lightly pink—he was unsure if it was from her running that she did, or from his bold statement, but he would not dare to ask. Without using words she nodded her head, and let go of his arm.

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews and responses. You are all great people. Here's chapter 2. If you have any questions or comments then please let me know.** **Thank you for taking the time to read this and I will try to update this as soon as I can. Thanks and have a wonderful day.**


	3. Chapter 3: Bonus Fortuna

**Once again, thank you all for your feedback and for reading. I am very grateful to you all. And I am proud of myself to be stepping out of my "comfort zone" as many of you had told me that it's good to do so. In which you are all right. Anyways, this chapter will show you how much I am going out on a limb here because of… ahem, "situations". ^^; hehehehe… so thanks to you all for taking the time to read this and God bless! P.S. might not update this in a while because school has officially started now. But who knows, maybe my "senior-itis" will kick in and put this before homework! XD Just kidding. …Maybe… lol. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

Chapter 3: Bonus Fortuna

††††

"Where are we going?"

"…"

Tifa was growing impatient as Cloud kept hold of her elbow as he pulled her with him. She had no idea where he was taking her or what she had done that caused him to act like this.

'…_Failing to do so will be punished severely…' _His words echoed in her head.

She prayed that he would somehow see past her defiance of him… just this once.

When they had arrived to the castle, he pulled her towards him and led her through corridors and stairs—as he was doing so now. She had no idea what had come over him.

Finally stopping, she looked at the white and gold trim door that was staring back at her. She bent her head low, gazing up at him from her black mud covered fringe shyly.

"What?" he peered down at her waiting for a response. But surprisingly she said nothing but stared back at the door in question.

'_Does she not know?'_ he couldn't believe that humans called his kind savages, when they were the ones who acted like it. Honestly, did she not know?

"Cloudy~ there you are!" Yuffie popped up from the hallway with Aeirth behind her. She glanced back and forth from the blonde who was scratched up, to the woman who liked like she was impersonating a swamp. She stifled a laugh at the couple who watched her with little amusement.

"Cloud! Tifa! W-what on…?" Aeirth's emerald eyes flickered in astonishment as she stared at her friends. Cloud scratched his golden mane in embarrassment—as he always did—and closed his eyes rather tightly.

Judging by the look in her friend's eyes expression that read 'I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it', she wouldn't want to even know what had happened after breakfast.

"W-well… I guess I can see why you're both going to use the Bath."Tifa's eyes widened.

'"_Bath"? As in, bathing? Together?'_ She didn't even want to go into detail about that one. There were a _few_ things that she knew were bound to keep him _distracted_ if they did bathe together. She felt her face warm up as she shivered at the thought of that wolf getting his paws on her…

Cloud made a cluck sound with his tongue as he stared at his friends in irritation. Could he not get a break today? It was his rights God damn it to be with his mate! So what's the problem if they bathe together?

'_Or do a few other things in between…'_

He licked his lips at the scrumptious thoughts of her moaning in pleasure as his body would thrust in and out of her, splashing the warm water in the porcelain tub as they both went over that deliciously _sweet _and_ sinful_ edge together.

The two females in front of him were fully aware of his attentions and frowned.

"Cloud…" The honey haired woman scolded him, placing her hands on her hips. Yuffie copied her and was proceeding to give him a scolding as well.

"Here,_ we'll_ take her, and get her cleaned up for you." The girls pulled her from the male's grip and dragged her inside the room before he could protest.

Cloud stood dumbfounded at the door.

'_Nothing a few cases of ale won't do to fix this rude turn of events…'_

And with that he turned bitterly, and made his way downstairs towards the catacombs, in search of said ale.

††††

"Oh wow," the short haired girl said in awe as her and Aeirth washed the human's body.

"Wh-what? What is it?"

To say Tifa was uncomfortable right now was an understatement. Ever since they slammed the door in Cloud's face—which she was slightly happy about—the two girls didn't seem to stop giving her compliments about her body.

"Tifa look how smooth your skin is! Aeirth, isn't it smooth?" Yuffie chirped, sending Tifa a grin as they helped wash her.

'_I'm not a newborn. I can wash myself…' _the two girls poured all kinds of bath elixirs into the warm tub. Although it was a very kind and thoughtful gesture to go through so much trouble of doing so, it was a something she could not be accustomed to. Especially when the ash colored girl would praise her "bountiful" assets so loudly.

"You sure are lucky." Tifa blushed and stood to gather the towel that they handed to her. She had never been into a place like this before. The castle and people were strange to her… why would such cruel beasts desire the finest of things? So many thoughts about this still confused and agitated her. Like why Cloud had chosen her? Or how did he know her?

"—you really will be lucky!" Tifa broke from her concentration and fluttered her lashes in shock.

"I'm sorry what?"

"I said that with you having such great birthing hips, you'll be poppin' babies out by the dozen! And then you really will be lucky!" the bubbly wolf repeated.

If Tifa's face wasn't already red enough from all of the compliments on her body today… she was sure she looked like she had eaten Barret's spicy gumbo by now. Her cheeks were burning as she felt that she would die of embarrassment.

'_Babies…? With Cloud…?'_ the mental image of her raising blonde haired blue eyed babes ran in her head. How could one even be with him? Let alone raise his young!

"Well, that's all "fine-and-dandy" with you all isn't it? I mean, it's not like it _should_ matter that a werewolf and a human should mate right?" she meant to sound sarcastic to try and see their opinion of her matter. But it wasn't the reaction that she had hoped for.

Aeirth gave the dark raven haired woman a sad smile.

"You really are lucky though Tifa. You don't know what anyone would give to be able to have children with the man they love."

'_Man they love?'_ Yuffie glanced at her teacher before turning to Tifa.

"I know that Cloud doesn't show it—or that you think that all of us are a bunch of inbred demons—but that doesn't mean that we don't feel the same pain when someone tells us something sorrowful." Tifa listened intently to Yuffie's words.

"When someone hurts us, or casts us aside, we still feel hurt and abandoned. When we are told that…" violet eyes moved in the direction of viridian ones.

"…A loved one has passed on… we still mourn and feel insecure. So please," she reached for Tifa's watery hands that were once clutched to the maroon towel tightly.

"Understand that we are not all that different. Why, even Cloud has emotions as well."

"He sure has a good way of hiding them." Tifa joked trying to ease the tension that wafted in the air. All this talk of "feelings" and "Cloud" were changing her view of things… She couldn't stay here. It's risky enough as it is living under the same roof with these monsters, but to fall in love? That was blasphemous!

"Cloud is… well…" All attention turned to Aeirth as she spoke, a warm smile planted upon her lips as if thinking of a fond memory.

"…Cloud. He isn't exactly a charmer, but he's a great provider, and always offers protection. In fact, he offered you some the other day didn't he?" she questioned as they lent Tifa a cotton robe and propped her up in front of a vanity mirror.

Wine colored eyes sparkled at the reflection that appeared in front of her very eyes. She had never really stopped to primp herself much as she was always on the go. So it was a treat to be treated so kindly—and by strangers no less. But something that Aeirth said struck her.

"What do you mean? He didn't protect me." Her brows crinkled in confusion, replaying the entire conversation that Cloud and she had had on their first encounter with one another.

"Well, what about that debt collector? Weren't you in your neck up with debts?" Yuffie asked, as if asking about how the weather was.

"….I… I'm not exactly—"

"—Cloud said that he threatened you at least once a fortnight." Tifa stared blankly, seeing the two women tame massive chunks of black into a silken thread.

'_How did Cloud know?'_ she felt rage at the blonde haired male for speaking so freely about her personal life. She also felt confused as to how he knew about that, and what else he could have known. Aeirth beat her to speaking first before she could ask the pair any of her questions.

"Cloud has always watched out for you. He said that that man was bothering you, and that he had overheard him talking to his friends that he was going to make you sell your body in order to pay him back the money you owed." Tifa gasped in shock.

"So… why the big debt?"

"Yuffie!"

"What? I just want to know? Curious is all… I mean, to put yourself in a whole mess a' trouble for no reason? That's too… stupid." It hit Tifa like a ton of bricks.

'_Cloud knew about my situation… so that man in my room…'_ her eyes widened in realization. And just when she had come to her conclusion, her two friends had her all dolled up and primed. She could no longer see the face of a woman who was in misery and dread. But a young girl with rosy cheeks complimented by snow white skin and molten crimson eyes smile back at her instead.

She didn't know what had came over her, but she wanted to do something nice for Cloud.

"Tifa! Where are you going?" she heard Aeirth.

"Don't go wallowing in the mud again, there's a gathering this evening~" She froze at hearing the young girl's words leave her mouth.

"W-what gathering?" Both looked at each other before casting a glance at the weary dark haired woman before them. Tifa felt uneasy at the two's wide grins and playful eyes.

††††

"Damn them," the sound of glass hitting the wooden table echoed through the stone walls of Cloud's chambers.

He had a right to be with his mate. He had picked her out of all of the many women who had fallen at his feet and she had no interest in him at all.

Tight lips curled into a light smile, the memory of her showing him warmth and compassion after his scuffle with Loz sparked his desire to be with her all the more. He knew that speaking wasn't his strong suit, but he tried. He would try anything for her, if it meant that she'd care for him the way she did today. He was truly bewildered by her.

'_How would she react about us attending to the gathering tonight?'_ he wondered, taking a swig from the glass cup once more. He needed something to cool him off, and the slightly cool beverage did just the trick from all of the problems he faced this morning.

A knock sounded from his door, making him get up and yank the handle open, having every intention of telling the person who _dared_ to interrupt his alone time to go fuck themselves.

He had his mouth agape, his jaw hanging off its hinges at the sight before him.

"Are you busy?" he shook his head to clear his thoughts, and let her come in, closing the door behind his guest.

She was gorgeous. Her hair was polished and straightened, with the exception of her bangs hanging over her one eye. The dress that she wore emphasized her bust and slimmed her already small waist. Something about the dark blue satin dress made him think it was familiar. He couldn't take his eyes away from her figure, she looked just so…

"Cloud?" he tried hard to keep himself from staring at the swell of her breasts.

"I want to make it up to you." She played with her dress feeling uncomfortable at meeting his eyes. She felt him sizing her up, which proved her speculations on how he would handle seeing her dressed up. It was all Aeirth and Yuffie's idea for the dress.

Taking a deep breath, she walked forward and waited for his response.

She squeaked in surprise as warm hands were now clutched around her waist dipping her back; her legs in the air as he carried her bridal style and moved towards the bed. Realization flooded her the more he came in contact with the bed. As she opened her mouth to give off a loud scream, she was cut off by his lips on hers.

Her eyes widened, almost threatening to pop out from her head. His lips were molded against her own stopping her from screaming. She was in disbelief. Never in her life has she ever been kissed before.

Coming to grip with reality, she pushed his shoulders back trying to gain separation—which only caused him to deepen the kiss even more as he pressed her closer to him. Just as her lungs were about to give out, he pulled away and gave her a wolfish grin at her flushed face.

"I thought that you were going to make it up to me," he teased, brushing a few stray hairs aside from her face. She stuttered in response which fueled him to take things further. Carefully setting her onto the bed, he began to strip himself from his clothes watching her with hungry eyes as she licked her lips. She gawked at his actions and tried to get up, but was pulled back down by his strong arm.

"Cloud this isn't what I had in mind!" she screamed, covering her face with her hands as he reached towards his pants. He stopped at hearing this. He was growing impatient at her dilly-dallying. This woman was speaking in riddles to him.

"What the hell do you want to do then?" why did she bother to come in the first place if she was going to tease him like that?

Peeking through her fingers, seeing that the coast was clear she removed her palms from her eyes and sat up. Meeting his ice blue eyes as they held an annoyed expression to them; she calmly steadied her racing heart.

"I want to make it up to you, by joining you as your company for the gathering."

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, soon being replaced with a serious one.

'_Did I do something wrong? Maybe he doesn't want to be around me at all…'_ biting on her lower lip, she began to worry the more time moved on and silence filled the air.

Her ears perked up when she heard a low chuckle. He was smirking at her, with his hands on the bed he was slightly bent over to meet her on eye level. Tifa grew nervous as he approached closer and closer to her; his golden spikes hanging over his face added a more suggestive and dark look on his face.

'_Oh dear God, why didn't you keep your big mouth shut?!'_ she cursed the way her eyes would roam across his body. She knew that he was a handsome man, and the way he flexed his muscles as he crawled towards her made her mouth dry and her body numb. Sun kissed skin showed taut and well built abs, the kind that could only be obtained through hard labor. She noted the few scars on his torso and wondered how he got them.

"You know…" she jerked her head as he spoke, holding her vision there so he wouldn't see her ogle him any more than she suspected he already did.

"I told you before that when I request of your presence, you are to join and accompany me at all times," he tucked a lock of midnight black hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing past her cheek made her heart speed up.

"So that's not really making it up to me…" he breathed huskily, his face mere inches away from hers.

Tifa couldn't think at this point. She couldn't breathe. All she could do is watch Cloud toy with her and force her into a corner as he trapped her in his arms.

Cloud leaned over and drew his face closer to hers, he already had a taste of her, and he wanted more. He had been good and waited long enough. And by the looks of her expression she wasn't exactly against the idea. He was nearly there, the top of their lips barely touching. Her eyes had slowly closed which gave him the idea to seal the deal. A small gurgle interrupted them.

"….."

They both pulled back and stared wide eyed at each other. Tifa blushed furiously and played with the fabric of her dress, while Cloud just stared blankly at her.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just… I didn't eat breakfast. Remember?" she laughed nervously, feeling like a fool for having him listen to her growling belly.

'_Although it's embarrassing, praise Gaia that we got interrupted; remember that he's a werewolf! And you're a human.'_ She released a heavy sigh and calmed her nerves down.

Backing up from the bed he picked up his sweater that was cast aside and put it back on. He couldn't believe his luck. He was so close.

'…_and yet so far…'_

He watched as she stood up from the bed and began to straighten herself; smoothing out the dress, as she was avoiding his gaze.

"Come. I'll take you to the pantry." She watched him make his way outside of the room waiting for him to follow him. She saw his wounded hand hanging limp by his side.

'_Here I am being spoiled and pampered, while he's here suffering.'_ She frowned.

"The food can wait. I have to tend to you first before I can think about myself." She grabbed his unwounded arm and pulled him where the bath was.

Cloud watched her as she led him down the corridor with amusement. He didn't think that she cared for him… he was glad that he was wrong for once.

††††

"Stop moving,"

"It hurts… I can't help it."

"Well if you stopped moving then it wouldn't hurt as much."

Tifa had been cleaning Cloud's wounds. She had no other choice but to use her old dress as a bandage. She had to tear off strips of the dress to wrap around the bruises on his arm and knuckles; as she rubbed the balm that Aeirth gave her on his wounds before wrapping the strips around his hand.

He couldn't sit still and complained that it was the balm that stung which made him so fidgety.

"Honestly Cloud," he was bored sitting in the stool besides the tub. When she first led him there, he was more than enthralled. But seeing now what she was doing to make it up to him, made him happy but slightly disappointed.

"You act like a little child sometimes… there, all done." She finished wrapping the last of his bandage and began to gather up the left over dress and balm.

'_I suppose this means I won't be wearing this again…'_ she shucked the dress into a small basket before tucking the balm into a cabinet.

"Great. I get insulted for saving your life," he responded dry, heading out to the pantry. Tifa followed behind him.

"I beg your pardon? Maybe if you actually ate normally then—"

"—_Normally_? You eat the same thing that we do."

"Yes, but when it's _cooked! _Not when it's all bloody and mangled! The thing looked like someone just killed it and threw it on a plate!" Cloud turned around and gave her a look, automatically making her frown.

'_Damn him. Damn Wolves…'_

When they arrived in the pantry Tifa's anger vanished and was replaced with hunger. Shelves filled with all kinds of food were displayed. They had jars of marmalade, bread loaves, fruit and vegetables as well.

"Just get what you want. But don't eat too much, we'll be having a gathering tonight, and they'll be serving us enough food to make you as fat as a cow." Cloud watched her glancing in awe at all the different kinds of food. It was cute, she was like a child.

"Cloud?" she called out to him. He mumbled a response in return.

"How… how did you know about me being in debt?" she turned to him, holding the jar of marmalade in one hand and the bread loaf in another she made her way towards the counter to start making her breakfast in the kitchen.

He was surprised at her knowing about that. No doubt Aeirth and Yuffie said something. He cleared his throat before following her.

"I've been watching you, Tifa." She pulled a knife out and was cutting the bread loaf to get a slice. Hearing him say her name again made her heart beat fast.

"How long?" he watched her cut fine slices of bread.

"…. I don't know… a while." A pain shot through her finger, causing her to hiss. She examined her finger and saw a trickle of red liquid slither down her hand. She didn't realize that Cloud was behind her until his arms reached out and turned her around to meet him.

Blue eyes searched hers worriedly before turning down at the cut that she had. Taking her small hand into his, she gasped as he brought her digit into his warm mouth. She thought for sure that she would faint. She felt his tongue lap up her blood making her heart beat quicken and her cheeks turned red. She shouldn't be thinking such impure thoughts! Through half lidded eyes, Cloud looked at her dazed expression. Her blood tasted sweet and lucid, reminding him of the sweetest cream.

Oh Gaia how he could just imagine how she would taste…

Tifa whimpered as she felt her finger being prodded by the blonde wolf's sharp teeth. The very same teeth that ate and crunched through bone and flesh were the very same ones that were being felt by her. The room began to spin all around her—she yanked her hand away from him and pushed him off her. Blue eyes narrowed at her actions, when Tifa looked into the man's eyes, she was in disbelief. The eyes that once held a warmth and sense of security—like the tropical ocean—now held something frigid and inhuman. His eyes had a sort of teal tint to them much like that of Sephiroth's.

"Cloud, Tifa, there you guys are." Aeirth came in and smiled before glancing back and forth at the two.

Something wasn't right, silence and discomfort filled the air as no one knew quite what to say. Deciding to break the tension, Cloud nodded courteously at Aeirth.

'_Did I miss something…?'_ Aeirth looked closer into Cloud's face trying to search for some evidence as to what happened. The color tint in his eyes said it all. She approached Cloud and placed her hands on both sides of his head, before chanting.

"_Et cessabit esse silenti nocte creatura, la lumière est encore parmi nous, aguantar hasta que la luna está llena,"_ She chanted and saw as Cloud shook slightly from her touch before returning to normal. She withdrew her hands from him and gave a sigh in relief.

The dark haired girl stared at the two, wondering what had happened.

"I'm guessing that you're wondering what happened?" Tifa nodded.

Cloud didn't say anything but leave the room. Tifa had a million questions to ask. She wondered what was wrong with Cloud, and why his eyes changed. She wanted to know what Aeirth said and more.

Cloud was right… she didn't understand the Lycanthrope world at all.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask right now but I think that it's best if Cloud tells you." Green eyes took on a sorrowful look. Tifa wanted to argue, but she knew that it wouldn't solve anything; she would have to ask Cloud before the gathering. And like that Aeirth left the room, leaving Tifa alone to fix her breakfast.

"Fine. If no one's going to tell me," she grabbed the bread and smothered it with a slab of marmalade.

"Then I'll just have to find out for myself." She finished, taking a large chomp from the white bread.

††††

"Well she couldn't have just walked out on her own!" A tall dark skinned man bellowed. He was distraught at the disappearance of his neighbor. Last he had seen of her, she was closing down the bar. He searched her tavern everywhere for her but couldn't find her. He even searched the whole town for her, but no one had seen her.

"Relax Barret, these constables said that their doing the best that they can, even if they are a bunch o' shit-faced shmucks." Barret watched his neighbor sip from his stein. He knew that Cid Highwind was his and Tifa's friend, but he wondered if he could even call him that sometimes.

"Tifa deals with a lot of these fools, what if one of them took her away and did something to her?" Barret was worried sick. And when he saw the dead corpse in her bed room he had ever right to be.

"I don't like this any better than you do, but if we're going to sit here worrying over her, then we'll get scared and do something stupid. Besides, she's a tough girl… she can take care of herself."

"Gaia please let her be safe… "The dark skinned man walked over to the bar and prepared himself a drink to calm his nerves; he would pay his friend back when she returned.

"Hey, It's a full moon out tonight, look." Pointing up at the dusk sky that was in an array of purples, blues pinks, and oranges, the two men made their way outside and stared up at the harvest moon.

It was a Friday—the day of evil and of the witch's day. It figured that an eerie omen would appear on such a day… especially when their friend was missing.

"You don't think Tifa's—"

"—a witch? Nah, she goes to church everyday remember? And besides, she's too good to do any of that demonic crap." The blonde haired man waved off heading towards the door.

"I'm going back, I told Shiera that I'd be back before nightfall, and she can't handle the blacksmith shop all by herself." Barret nodded. The soldiers had told him that they would find her and not to worry. But something didn't seem right… he had never seen a soldier with long blood red hair before, or the other bald headed one. The men were _too _calm for something as serious as a murder.

"…I guess I should get going, Marlene will be worried if I'm not home." Heading out, Barret gave one last look at the abandoned home before taking leave, closing the door behind him.

**Here is chapter 3; I would like to say thanks to you all and to have a good day. Thanks for reading and I will try and update as soon as I can. If you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask, I will get back to you on them all.**


	4. Chapter 4: Once Upon a Dream

**Once again, thank you all who have taken the time to read this. I am very thankful and cannot stress that enough. So I see that there are a lot of questions regarding what happened in the last chapter (s). So just to be clear Tifa was having a nightmare in which her Mother died (in which her Mom died from the plague). Yes, this is set in a Medieval-ish time period. If there are any more questions that are confusing then please let me know. Sorry if I've taken a while to update this chapter. I'm celebrating my Birthday and dealing with School. :p so thank you all for your words, reviews, and time that you take to read this and pat your selves on the back. Comfort zone I believe that I have a restraining order against you now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

Chapter 4: Once Upon a Dream…

††††

Night was slowly approaching, the last shimmering rays of the sun long forgotten; as the moon had arose from its slumber. The harvest moon illuminated the heavens which was a blessing, and a curse.

The shuffling of feet outside the wooden door caught the midnight haired maiden's attention. The visitor knocked upon entry, not even waiting for the permission to venture in or not. Golden spikes came into Tifa's line of vision, causing her to scowl at the young man who was now dressed in formal wear. She was irritated at being locked up like a bird in a cage all day. And the fact that her so called "Mate" had not stopped by until now had infuriated her rage at him even more so.

Tifa sat up on the large bed and met his gaze, watching him cautiously as to what his next move might be.

"What took you so long?" she challenged, studying him as he approached her form closer and closer. Since he came to see her he had not spoken or made any facial change other than his serious one. It was as if something had been on his mind. Finally reaching his destination, he sat next to her, his head lowered as he observed his callous hands. Hands that could snap her in half if angered; hands that had once held her so close and affectionately… it was all so strange.

They both sat in silence for a moment or two, not sure of what to say to one another. Tifa blew up her bangs in annoyance.

"What happened to you Cloud?" he flinched at hearing her voice. Her body shifted to sit away from him;

He didn't know what to say… how could he explain so much to her in so little of time?

"I'll explain it later. Just get dressed." She huffed at his response. Cloud stood up and checked hi s reflection in the full length mirror. He was glad that he had chosen his navy blue velvet doublet. And the white dress shirt and black slacks completed the look. He was always comfortable wearing dark colors, which was estranged by both Aeirth and Yuffie.

"I'm not going anywhere until you answer my questions." Her voice was very stern. When he spun around, he stared down at her. He was not in the mood nor did he have the patience to deal with her trifling reprimands. His hands flung to her arms, squeezing them tightly sending a silent warning to steer her clear from any demands that she was about to make.

"I will not set one foot out that door unless you tell me what just happened down at the pantry."

It seems as though his warning was not good enough for her iron will.

Through with her, Cloud hoisted her upon his shoulder once more and dumped her roughly on top of the bed glaring at her as she protested his actions.

"God you are an ungrateful woman!" he barked, clenching his fists in rage. No one had ever aggravated him as much as she did.

"_Ungrateful?!_ You're the one who kidnapped me!" she scoffed, "Well, forgive me your _lordship_ if I am not the respectable wench that you hoped I would be!" She mocked, as she half bowed before him with her palms placed on the duvet. Cloud felt his self restraint snap.

"I brought you here away from all that… that… pain, sorrow and corruption! You can now live in Eden with me where you will be waited on hand and foot! And yet…" he didn't realize how close he was to her, or how he had stumbled across to her. Fear and anger shown in her crimson eyes, her breaths were ragged from all the hollering that they were doing.

"…and yet it's still not good enough for you." Cloud finished. Her eyes widened at this.

'_Good enough for me?'_ she wondered. Cloud's hard body caged around her supple one; unaware of how close he was to her until now. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she steadied her breathing and thoughts, ignoring how good it felt to lie helplessly underneath him.

"Cloud…" she breathed, as one ivory hand was placed upon his cheek. He did not expect this at all. He stiffened at her touch, allowing her to stroke his face.

With closed eyes, the blonde male contemplated if now was the time…

He had to tell her.

"Tifa… I…" he struggled for words. But she kept silent, waiting attentively as her soothing touch remained; coaxing him to come forward.

"I want to spoil you." Dark brows rose in response.

"I want to be with you _forever…_ to spoil you, to hold you, a-and… to love you." He felt his cheeks heat up at his revelation. How many days had he spent reciting those words to her in his imagination? How much time did he spend thinking about her?

"W-what are you talking about?!" she stuttered.

'_It isn't supposed to be like this! This is wrong! Beyond wrong this is… a mortal sin! How could he possibly say that to me?!' _her head was spinning, she felt her stomach turn in knots at his confession. Sure she had heard many men give her confessions before, but this… this was different.

"Tifa… I love you. I've always loved you." He repeated again, as his lips found their way onto hers. She gasped at the feeling of his warm mouth on hers, which proved to be a mistake as this caused him to deepen the kiss, forcing his tongue through her parted lips. She shut her eyes tightly, trying her best to pry him off of her. His hands framed around her face, trying his best to retaliate with her struggles.

She was torn between gagging at his taste and relishing in it. He tasted of blood in which she hoped he had not just eaten some carcass before sliding his tongue down her throat.

And yet… she was almost ready to give into sin and lust at the taste and feel of him. The taste of blood fueled her desire to bask in hell if it meant he would kiss her again like this.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. Her lungs were screaming for air. The sound of heated breaths filled his bed chamber; as his body still levitated above hers. Finding her strength she shoved him off of her, pushing him onto the side of the bed. Sitting up, her eyes glazed over with fear and a small amount of longing.

"I… I-I can't… Cloud, I… I don't even know you!" blue eyes flickered at her words. It was now or never.

"You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" she demanded. His ocean blue eyes searched her wine colored ones; testing her if she was telling the truth.

"You saved me. You saved my life." Tifa felt her eyes widen. Sitting up with her, Cloud began to retell his beloved tale of all to her.

"It was winter. The local boys were running after me with sticks… I ran as fast as I could until I reached the pond that was covered in ice. But the ice didn't hold and I fell into the icy cold water…" Tifa listened closely at hearing this. A long forgotten memory seeped its way into her mind.

She remembered.

"_Stop running! Get back here!"_

"_Don't! Please!" _

_Tifa was on her way home, having spent the day at church and at the market place with her Mother and Father. Her Mother and her shared the bags of groceries they had just haggled to get—two bowls of rice, and a bit of vegetables; a fine edition to any porridge or stew. Her Parents had been too engrossed in their conversations to hear the cries of the little boy who was headed towards the frozen pond that had been closed off._

_Seeing the small light haired boy fall into the water she dropped the bag of groceries, ignoring the calls of her Mother and fled to help the poor child._

_His pale arms flailed in the air as he struggled to breath. He gasped and cried out for help calling for somebody—anybody to help him. When she was close enough to him, the dark haired girl reached out for his waving arms and attempted to pull him up. He caught her grip and held on tightly, fearing that even the lightest of grip may be his certain demise. Using all of her upper body strength that she could muster, she hauled him out from the chilled water and took off her winter coat; wrapping it around his shoulders. _

_The boy's blue eyes sparkled in the dreary weather. He shivered against the cold air that was brought upon by the yuletide season. Teeth chattering, he clutched the coat closer to his body. _

_Tifa wrapped her scarf around him—her favorite possession that her Mother had made for her. The warm maroon wool heated from her body did its magic and heated him up in its caress._

"_Go home and warm up. Listen; don't let those guys pick on you. No one can take advantage of you without your permission, got that?" she scolded him half-heartedly. _

_The blonde haired boy stared at her blankly, unsure of what to say. The sounds of the little girl's parents were heard as they called out her name._

'_Tifa…' he memorized the name._

"_Will you be alright? My Mama and Papa are here, we can take you to the doctor's if need be." He shook his head 'yes'._

"_Cloud."_

_The dark haired girl's brows scrunched in confusion at his random speech. Sensing her questioning, he pointed at his chest._

"_I'm Cloud. Cloud Strife." He introduced. Realizing this she smiled in response._

_The sound of her parent's voice grew more frantic and worried over their daughter who had abandoned them by the snowy path. She turned on her heel and left, leaving him with her warm coat and sweater._

_Gazing at her retreating form, Cloud snuggled in the coat even more, and headed home, his thoughts all consumed by the dazzling smile of the dark haired girl named Tifa._

Sitting in the bed chamber in silence, Tifa lurched forwards standing up in front of him.

Cloud focused on her body movement, debating on whether or not he should move with her in case she decides to flee.

Her soft pink lips curved into a small smile making him confused all the more.

"What do you want me to wear?"

††††

Gliding across the granite floor, crowds upon crowds of werewolves gathered around. The women were all dressed in extravagant gowns of silk, and embroideries of gold and silver. All adorned with jewelry or feathers in which was to their liking—much like a ball.

The men were dressed almost as Cloud was, with white shirts, riding boots, and elegant colors only the noble class could possess.

What caught the mortal's attention the most were the streaming lights that hung from the trees almost like stars that hung in the sky along with the silver moon. Speaking of which, it was a full moon out tonight—a harvest moon, and in which the gathering would commence on only said days.

"I see that you two are getting along just fine." Sephiroth smirked, his brothers all stood behind him. They all dressed the same—in black and in silver armor. Her eyes caught Loz scanning her figure. It was Cloud who requested her to wear the ivory dress. She blushed at the feel of Cloud's hand on her lower back, bringing her closer to him. Obviously he was well aware that she was the peak of interest at their party.

"Yes, just _grand_." Tifa heard Cloud's strained voice say.

"Miss Lockhart, you look ravishing in that gown."A Gloved hand reached for hers and placed a soft kiss upon the back of it. Cloud glowered at this but did not say a word. Deciding to move things along, Cloud pulled her away from Sephiroth and his brothers slowly hoping to get a chance alone with each other.

"Cloud, how are you?" Aeirth's soft spoken voice was heard, standing beside him she graciously smiled at him. Aeirth was wearing a lovely form fitting scarlet gown; it was simple, yet radiant. Something that described the young alchemist beauty. Taking notice of the hiding form of Tifa, she pulled out the bashful girl from behind the blonde and gave her a warm hug.

"Tifa why, you look beautiful!" she praised, taking a closer look at the white gown that showed off the dark haired woman's curves. She gave a knowing smile to Cloud, knowing he had something to do with her dress. He retaliated by glancing off to the side.

"Aeirth you look beautiful as well. I mean, that's a beautiful gown." Tifa complemented, earning a blush from the other female.

"O-oh, this old thing? No, it's just something I threw on that was gathering dust in my closet." She giggled, nervously shifting her feet. Tifa smiled warmly.

The sounds of musical instruments were heard as the musicians focused on their harmonious symphony. The large parties of people soon formed into dancing partners, the shuffle of couples waltzing to the soft melodious tune.

"Aeirth, aren't you going to dance?" Tifa asked. Cloud frowned and watched his friend's reaction switch from delight to discomfort.

"No, no, it's alright, I'm afraid that my days of waltzing are over." The petite woman strained a smile before excusing herself.

'_Was it something I said…?'_ Tifa questioned as to what could have her friend race off in such a hurry. Sensing her distress, Cloud wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her gently along with him, making their way to the veranda.

"Don't worry about Aeirth, she'll… she'll be fine." Tifa thought different, and was ready to strike up the conversation, but Cloud quickly changed the subject.

"You are probably wondering what happened down at the pantry, are you not?" Tifa nodded in reply. With a sigh he leaned his elbows against the white stone fence overlooking the distant lights of the applauding crowd.

"… well, the thing is…" he scratched the top of his blonde spikes, unsure of where to go from there.

"The thing is… on the days of the full moon, werewolves get blood lust. Or just _lust…_" Tifa felt her legs quiver at the way he spoke. Through the pale moonlight, she could make out his hauntingly bright blue orbs. She felt that she needed more clothes from the way he was peering down at her.

"Once we get this way, there is no stopping us until the first wake of dawn." He brushed a stray ash lock away from her face.

"The only reason why we're in our human form now, is because of Aeirth. She has strong magical powers, in which allows her to place us in control of our forms. That—is what you saw happened." He finished, staring at her shocked expression. Tifa was at a loss for words. What did this mean? What was Aeirth? Was she a Witch? A Werewolf?

"What is—"

"—Aeirth? That not even I know…" he chuckled bitterly. Tifa didn't know what to say, or what to do.

'_What is Aeirth? And why did she want Cloud to tell me if she could have told me herself?'_ she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, breaking her train of thought.

"C-Cloud!" he smirked at her surprise, and twirled her around, meeting him face to face.

"Tifa, stay with me here forever." Strong arms still wrapped around her in a tight embrace. He finally had her all to himself. And he desired her more than any riches in the world.

Her breath hitched at his plea. Everything about this was wrong. But as she gazed deeply into his dazzling blue eyes… something made her heart flutter at his words.

"Forever…" she breathed, and gave him a soft kiss. Her body had a mind of its own. Her eyes drifted shut at the contact of his lips on hers. Tilting her head to the side to better the angle, she felt Cloud's tongue beg for entrance. Complying with his request, she parted her lips and granted him access into her mouth.

He groaned at the feel of their tongues battling for dominance, and the soft moans she was making persuaded him to go even further. Callous hands worked their way up and down her back, reveling in the feel of her porcelain skin against his fingers. His hands brushed the fabric of the silk material and rested upon her lower back, pressing her into his hips. Tifa gasped at the contact of his arousal against her and broke the kiss.

"What's wrong?" his voice heavy with desire at the loss of contact.

Tifa looked away from him, she wasn't sure what to say or do in this situation. Here was a man who was begging her to be with him and that he would love her always and would spoil her, and here she was rejecting him.

"Tifa…" he called out to her, brushing his fingers against the curve of her cheek. He should have controlled himself more, he should have known.

'_I'm always scaring her…'_

"I would never hurt you." He rasped feeling her flinch at his words. Seeing her ignore him he pulled away from her and turned his back to her.

'_I know Cloud says that he loves me, but does he really…'_ she thought deeply about what he said. Turning to see his back facing her, she walked up behind him. Cloud remained still as she pressed closer to his back. Tifa remembered back to the memories of the spiky haired boy who was constantly picked on and abused by the village. She compared herself to him, she had loving family and friends, and enjoyed her life to the fullest with every waking moment. Cloud never had any family other than his Mother if she could recall… and the way everyone addressed him—excluding Aerith and Yuffie—they treated him very _different_.

'_You must be so lonely…'_

Tifa's grip tightened in the fabric of his dark doublet. She had thrown away every ounce of doubt she had and gave in.

"Cloud… I can't really give you an answer right now," he gave a deep sigh—telling her that he was not pleased in the slightest.

"To be honest I don't even know what to say… but, words aren't the only way to express what you feel, right?" she was blushing madly as she finished her sentence. She couldn't believe what she was doing, she was offering herself on a silver platter to him.

…And only him.

Cloud turned around to face her, in a flash she was in his arms. Where they were going, she dared not ask. All she thought about was Cloud.

**Sorry that the chapter is kind of short. I'll be sure to update as soon as possible. If there are any questions please let me know. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day. **


	5. Chapter 5: Rubiconem

**Hi guys! I hope you all had a great week so far. Me on the other hand had a crappy one… **** It required me to spend the early morning with a stomach flu. Ugh… anyways, I'm getting better and since I can't go anywhere (or do anything) I decided to work on updating. Anyways, I would like to thank all of you for reading this, thank you all so much! Hint: not the best speller. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

Chapter 5: Rubiconem

††††

It was past midnight when the gathering was coming to its celebratory meal. Yuffie and Aerith were already seated at the large lacquered dining table. Just as they were about to dig into the large entrées, Yuffie took notice of their two missing friends.

"Aerith, where's Cloud and Tifa? Shouldn't they be here?" Aerith blinked before it dawned on her. Her lips curved into a smile, as her companion gave her a questionable look.

"They'll be alright." The soft spoken woman responded, and proceeded to take pleasure in devouring their meal. Yuffie shrugged before taking a leg of turkey on her plate and wolfed it down. While the two females were busy engrossing themselves in the delectable meal, they were blissfully unaware of the cold stares from their silver haired noble.

'_I cannot allow this to happen… not again…'_ Sephiroth's eyes narrowed at the two empty seats staring back at him from across the table, they were staring at him mockingly. He scooted his chair back as he made his way to the study room, with his three brothers following suit.

"Dear Brother where are you going?" Kadaj asked trying his best to keep up with the eldest brother's pace.

"Did the food not satiate your appetite? I knew we should have served pig instead…" Yazoo spoke with calmly, following close behind Sephiroth.

"Neigh, I must seek Hojo. It is a matter of urgency. Go and sit down before Genesis-"

"Before Genesis what?"

All silver haired wolves turned to see the red cloaked man smirking at their surprised faces. Walking slowly, Genesis made his way towards Sephiroth.

"Genesis, what are you doing here?" The brown haired man held up a hand, stopping him from further speaking. Genesis and Sephiroth were close friends, although they never showed it, but Sephiroth knew that something was wrong with this picture.

"Sephiroth you're looking for Hojo, as am I, so please continue with whatever you were about to say. After all… we both know what you're going to Hojo for." Sephiroth turned his back on his friend ignoring the cries of his brothers as he ventured off in search of the scientist.

"Brothers let us go back," Kadaj addressed turning on his heel towards the dining hall.

"But… Sephiroth he…" The youngest brother sniffled.

"Do not cry Loz, there is no need." Kadaj teased.

"I'm not… crying…"

††††

Cloud couldn't control himself any longer, he had finally confessed his love that he once had thought was unrequited, and yet here was the love of his life—his mate cradled in his arms. He looked down to the beautiful dark-haired angel in his embrace. Her lips were slightly parted and rosy—the effects of the kisses that they had shared before heading towards his bed chamber. The way her arms were linked around his neck pressing her ample bosom closer to his made both of their hearts beat faster.

Given his increased ability to all senses, Cloud couldn't help but grin wickedly at her frantic heartbeat that rang in his ears. His male pride and ego soared, knowing that he and he alone could have this affect on her.

Finally reaching the last steps of the cold stone stairs, the blonde wolf placed her on her feet as he stared deeply into her eyes, searching to see if she had any regrets about this before they reached that point where neither one could turn back. Her eyes shined a beautiful shade of red as she stared into clear blue eyes.

Both hand in hand, they reached the door and pulled it open, stepping inside—together.

Tifa didn't know what came over her; she felt her body have a mind of its own. Before either one could close the wooden door and take way to the pleasure of each other's skin against skin. A dull knock on the door broke them from the heated atmosphere.

Cloud cursed under his breath and pulled Tifa close to him, licking her ear lobe in hoping to make her forget the continual knocking.

"Cloud… shouldn't you get that?" Tifa tried to push him off her, finally coming to her senses. She wouldn't dare take the chance with Cloud and her in a very… _intimate_… moment for someone to walk in on.

'_Dear Gaia… '_

Images of Cloud and her rolling in his bed filled her mind. She blushed tremendously at the thoughts that crossed her mind. She mentally thanked Cloud for stopping his ministrations before going to answer the door.

Yanking the door practically off its hinges, Cloud stared down at the little boy in front of him. He smiled up at Cloud as he dove in to hug his waist.

Tifa was surprised to see Cloud hug him back. It was a different side of Cloud that she had ever known.

'_Cloud… are you…'_ The brunette couldn't even begin to come up with a question for the male wolf's actions. The way he threw away all anger in a second to be replaced with joy befuddled her.

"Cloud… who's she?" The small brown haired boy asked, pointing to the woman standing in the middle of the room.

"She's my Mate. Her name is Tifa. I've known her all my life, so I hope that you two can get along." Cloud finished, ruffling the brown curly locks upon the child's head teasingly. The little boy laughed in response, and walked towards Tifa.

"Hi, I'm Denzel, Cloud's told me stories about you, I just didn't think that he would actually bring you here." He greeted, extending an arm out for her to shake. Tifa smiled warmly at Denzel and shook hands with him. Cloud huffed at the younger boy's statement.

"So… is Cloud your…"

"I'm his Brother!" Denzel proudly proclaimed, as he jabbed a finger at himself.

Tifa sighed in relief, if she found out that Cloud had a lover and was already with children then she'd have to kill herself! No way would she lower herself to being a mistress.

"Hey, why aren't you guys at the gathering feast?" Denzel asked looking back and forth at the two adults in the room.

Cloud and Tifa stared at each other blankly, Cloud would never explain to his little brother what was about to go on before he came in. And if Aerith, or worse—Yuffie found out…

Cloud cringed at the thought of the rambunctious woman finding out about how he and Tifa almost consummated… from his prepubescent brother.

"Uh…" Was the only intelligent answer that the spiky haired male could give. Denzel gave his older sibling a strange look.

'_Grown-ups are so weird… hope I don't get this way when I'm older.'_

Tifa cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the two boys. They hardly looked alike but the blue eyes were unmistakable; they were too alike that it was just so adorable.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I am rather famished." Tifa said making her way past the two.

"Yeah, C'mon Cloud let's go!" Denzel tugged on Cloud's arm signaling him to go.

"Yeah, yeah…" Cloud sighed. He wanted to spend some _quality_ time with Tifa, but he couldn't resist his little brother's pleas.

"Why are you out here Denzel? Shouldn't you be down stairs eating?" He raised a brown inquisitively, earning a blush in response.

"I was uh… waiting for you." Denzel admitted scratching the back of his head nervously, something that Cloud also did when he was nervous.

'_Must be a habit that he picked up…'_ Tifa shrugged.

Something was strange. Although Cloud had claimed that Denzel was his brother, Tifa distinctly remembered Cloud being an only child.

††††

Cloud and Denzel led Tifa to the dining room where all the guests were devouring their meals joyously. Taking a seat by Yuffie and Aerith, the trio picked out whatever food their hearts desired. Tifa praised Gaia for the wolves finally coming to their senses in serving a meal that was_ properly_ cooked.

She practically drooled at the sight of the roasted lamb and turkey. And the way the dinner rolls and soup looked was divine. Tifa had never seen such decadent food in all her life, it was a dream that every serf and pauper dreamed of.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly edible for you to eat," Cloud teased, pinching her cheek.

"Oh, so you're done already? I thought that you two would be there for hours." Yuffie stated bluntly, as she drank her wine.

"Y-Yuffie!" Tifa stammered.

"What?" The short haired woman received a look from all of her comrades.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept your comments to yourself." Cloud began eating his lamb in an animalistic manner. He was starved, and the full moon only propelled all of his urges.

"Sorry no promises," Yuffie sneered.

"So how do you like it here Tifa?" Denzel asked as he took a bite out of the turkey.

"I, uh… it's… _different_…" She struggled. However, _different_ was a major understatement here, and she became worried about her friends that she left behind.

'_Maybe I can convince Cloud to let me see them…'_

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it here. My brother Cloud told me that change just takes some getting used to. Before you know it, you'll be just like the rest of us!" Denzel's words made Tifa pale.

'_A werewolf… no way… I can't…'_ Tifa thought of all of her friends, they were like her family. How could she leave the life of a mortal to suffer a life in eternal damnation?

Breaking the silence that loomed in the air, Cloud cleared his throat giving the little boy a cautious look. Dinner had gone by smoothly, albeit the beginning had been a little rocky, they all took enjoyment in one another's company. It was almost as if they forgot all their worries and fears that could fall down on them any second now.

Dessert was brought out by the chefs and placed on the table, a silver tray landed on the table. Curiosity arose amongst the creatures. Tifa although was curious—was at the same time wondering what it was as well.

"I present to you all a new addition to the menu, flambé!" The chef announced proud with himself and set the pastry on fire. Everyone was in awe at the sight, applauding at the newly found treat.

Clapping her hands, Tifa smiled and looked at Cloud. Her hands stopped when she saw the look on his face. Cloud skid his chair back in fear at the flames that consumed everyone's attention. His body shook tremendously as his hands gripped the sides of his head.

"Cloud! Cloud! What's wrong?" Cloud ignored Tifa's calls, clutching his head in agony as he stared at the flames. Turning his face to look at her—which was difficult to do so—she saw tears streaming down his face.

"Cloud..." Tifa brushed his tears away and held him close to her. Aerith stood up and pulled Cloud with her, signaling for Denzel, Tifa, and Yuffie to follow her. Once they made it out of plain sight, Aerith calmed Cloud down and placed him in Tifa's care.

"B-but, what am I—"

"—Tifa, there's a lot about Cloud that you don't know. But please, take care of him. I'll explain shortly, just take him and Denzel upstairs. Yuffie and I will be up in a bit, I just have to take care of something first." Aerith explained, leaving Cloud and Denzel to the dark haired maiden. Tifa was skeptical, not sure what to do in this situation as Cloud shook and cried in fright. Denzel tugged on her white dress and motioned for her to follow him up the stairs.

††††

"Cloud, its okay… shhh… shh…" Tifa soothed, trying her best to calm down the blonde male that rested on her in her caress. After a while of crying, he finally calmed down relaxing into her warm embrace. He enjoyed the way she seemed to shield him from the world, holding him gently just like a Mother would a child.

'_What could have made you so fearful of fire?'_ She wondered subconsciously rubbing his back in a soothing manner.

"I'm sorry you had to see Cloud like this," Denzel spoke up; as he gave his brother a sorrowful look. "He's been like this for a long time, ever since…" the young boy's voice trailed off as his brother sat up.

"Denzel… could you leave Tifa and I alone for a while."

Sensing the sternness in his voice, the brown haired boy nodded wordlessly closing the door behind him.

"Cloud?" Tifa called to him, smoothing a few strands of spikes away from his forehead. She didn't know why she cared so much about him. The man she had come to despise had somehow gotten under her skin. It was all so strange to her, from the moment he had cried in pain, she wanted nothing more than to hold him close forever.

"I… I'm sorry for making you worry." He sniffled, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Cloud turned away from her, hoping that this conversation would end. He hated these petty arguments and was not ready to subjugate himself into another one with her. As far as he knew they were both stubborn, and he wasn't ready to spend another waking second arguing.

"It's not nothing! What happened?" She demanded, tugging on his shoulder in a means of turning him to face her.

"What do you care?! You spent all your time avoiding me, and now you want to console me?"

Tifa was furious; she raised her hand and slapped him across the face. Cloud winced at the painful sting that rested upon his left cheek.

What was he to her?

"…What are you afraid of?" her voice barely above a whisper, startling Cloud at her words. Seconds ticked by with neither one saying anything. Tifa didn't know what came over her. He spoke the truth. Why did she choose to console him? He is the manifestation of evil. He is the serpent coaxing her to give a taste into the forbidden fruit.

"…I… don't remember… all I can recall is fire." Cloud answered, staring straight into Tifa's mahogany eyes that shone even in the dimly lit room. Without using any words, she placed her hands on both sides of his face, pulling him into a deep kiss.

They both parted after a while and gazed into one another's eyes. They both knew where they were going with this.

"Tifa… I won't force you." Cloud brushed the side of her face. He didn't want to ruin anything with her, not after all the time he spent looking for her.

"Cloud… I want to be there for you. I… I don't know why but… something in my heart, tells me that this is right. Even though this is wrong, somehow… it feels right." Tifa blushed, she didn't know why but the way he looked at her under his heated gaze made her heart soar and her belly fill with liquid fire.

"Tifa…" he breathed huskily. And in an instant she was pinned before him, her hair sprawled out across the bed in a waterfall of black silken tresses. They needed no words. They had reached that point that they could never go back on.

Callous hands traveled down her body, feeling the soft and warm skin that radiated beneath the white gown. Leaning down to kiss her, Cloud begged for entrance against her lips. Obliging Tifa parted her lips and was met with the strong muscle that invaded her mouth. She reveled in the way his tongue battled against hers for dominance. Turning her head to the side to deepen the kiss, she gave a slight moan when she felt his hand slip under her dress, massaging her creamy legs.

She didn't know what had come over her; her body was on fire and demanded his entire attention. The way his hands did wonders to her body made her core ache for him.

Tifa was finding the taste of blood suddenly addicting. She didn't care if she was going to hell at this point. All she cared about was here and now, not about the consequences of tomorrow, or the differences between them. It was strange they were almost strangers; and yet she they weren't, It was so delightfully _sinful_.

Cloud felt his erection strain against the fabric of his pants, the way she mewled and grabbed a handful of his spikes while he kissed her made him want to tear of their clothes and make passionate wild love all night long. They both parted lips panting as they stared deeply into each other's eyes. Cloud took a moment to admire his work. Her eyes were darkened in lust with her cheeks flush and her lips that were now swollen. He gave her a wolfish grin before nibbling on her ear, sucking on the earlobe in the process. Tifa whimpered and tugged his shirt out from his pants making him stop his actions.

Tifa grew worried as to why he stopped.

'_Was I too loose? Does he think that I'm easy?'_ a million thoughts raced through her mind. Cloud seemed to notice this and chuckled at her perplexed and lust filled face.

Straddling her hips he reached up and tore his shirt and vest away from his body, earning a surprised squeak in return.

"What? You wanted this didn't you?" Tifa blushed at his poor choice of words. Before she could come up with a witty response, he went in to kiss her neck, biting and suckling at the snow white skin. Tifa's eyes rolled into the back of her head, as she felt his sharp canines nip at her pulse point.

She had never been intimate with men before, claiming to be useless, and that she would spend her life as a spinster. Although she had never been intimate she knew a few things from the mid-wives and women who discussed the acts of what went on behind closed doors. She had no idea how wonderful it felt to be passionate with a man until now.

His lips ventured down to her collar bone biting down hard enough to leave a mark that would brand her as his. Tifa yelped in response, pushing him off her to stare down at her newly given bruise. Red eyes glared at him as she rubbed the sore skin on her chest. Cloud muttered an apology before leaning over her again, continuing where he left off. She hesitantly let him pushing her down on the bed, but once he slipped his hands past her undergarments to the spot between her legs she gave up all sense of doubt.

"Cloud… mnnh…"

Cloud smirked against her skin, the way she moaned his name sparked his want for her tenfold. He tore the gown off from her body and marveled at the pale skin that was exposed to the moonlight.

"Cloud!" she shrieked when she saw the dress fly off somewhere in the room.

'_So much for self restraint.'_

"Relax. I want to make you feel good." He breathed, sending a shiver down her spine.

Cloud sat Tifa up and tugged at the confines of her corset. Loosening the strings, he flung the material off her body. All was left was her under dress and garments. He felt a breath release from him that he was unaware that he was holding. She was beautiful in every sense of the word to him. And the way she shyly looked away from him with her lips in a cute little pout made her even more so beautiful.

"Don't look away from me." Tifa gasped as he peeled the remaining clothes off of her.

There she was. As naked as the day she was born for him to and—_only _him to view. Tifa crossed her arms to cover her breasts, but a pair of strong arms kept her from doing so.

"Don't. Gaia you're beautiful…"

The dark haired maiden blushed at his complement. The blonde haired man pressed a tender kiss between both breasts before taking a rosy bud into his mouth. This action caused the woman to moan in pleasure at the contact of his lips on her breasts. He continued to suckle and tease her nipple, using his other hand to fondle her neglected breast. The sounds she made were music to his ears.

"Cloud… nngh… Cloud…" She couldn't stop the cries that erupted from her lips. All she thought about, all she felt was the man who was on top of her.

Switching his attention to the other breast, he left a trail of saliva across her chest and began to suckle and nip at the skin, taking delight in how the feel of her skin felt under his touch. Her scent filled his nostrils, licking his lips he moved down to her lower stomach, dipping his tongue in her navel before traveling down to the apex of her thighs, the source of the delicious scent.

"Cloud what are you—don't! That's…" Tifa's voice failed her as she felt a wet sensation lick between her legs. She gripped the sheets tightly, her body was on fire. The way Cloud would lap up her juices like a kitten drinking the sweetest cream made her scream his name out to the heavens.

Cloud continued tasting her, shoving a finger inside of her drenched canal. Hearing her cry out in euphoria made him smirk. Cloud pumped his finger inside of his Mate before adding a second.

"Cloud… stop… mmm… oh Gaia… s-stop…"

"But why would you want me to stop? It's obvious that you're enjoying it." He teased, deliberately slowing his fingers.

"J-just… ohh… s-shut up." She ignored the sound of his chuckles and focused solely on the movement of his fingers thrusting inside of her.

Adding a third finger, Cloud picked up the pace, thrusting faster and faster against her. After a few thrusts Tifa cried his name, spilling her essence all over his hand and the bed sheets. Her scent was like an aphrodisiac, making him hungrier for her. Her eyes fluttered open panting as she watched the spiky haired male licking his fingers clean of her.

"Mmm… sweet." He remarked his eyes scanned her sweating body. Her face was flush—the after affect of her climax.

"Cloud…" Moving up towards her body he felt her hands unbuckle his belt. Letting her take control, he watched as Tifa moved her hands, shakily pulling his dark trousers down as his bulge became eminent and on display for her viewing eyes to witness. Tifa gulped at the large hardened skin that throbbed. She was beginning to have doubt that such a big thing could possible fit inside of her.

Kicking his pants off, Cloud gently laid Tifa down on her back, parting her legs apart with his knee. He stroked the side of her face tenderly, letting her know that he wouldn't dare harm her. She responded in wrapping her arms around his neck, letting him hover above her. He kissed her softly, as his throbbing erection met her lower body. Tifa's nails dug into his shoulders as she felt him enter her.

It was all too much. She felt as if someone was splitting her in two. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, as pain found its way inside of her at the feel of him inside of her. Cloud kissed her forehead, using a hand to brush away her tears. He couldn't imagine the pain that she would be dealing with. The way she felt around him let him know that she was a virgin, which he was very happy about to know that he was her first. The thought of any man laying a finger on her made his blood boil.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" He wasn't aware of the growl he made; assuring her everything was alright he waited a while for her to adjust to his side.

Once the pain had dulled, Tifa gave Cloud the okay to go. He began to thrust his hips against hers filling her up to the hilt.

"Ohh… oh, Cloud." She moaned breathlessly as he moved against her hips nipping the junction between her neck and shoulder.

"Nngh… Tifa..." he couldn't begin to describe how wonderful it was having her here—beneath him. It seemed that all thoughts of Lycanthropes and humans didn't exist. It was just the two of them, in their own suspended reality.

Tifa's hips met Cloud's thrust for thrust, increasing the friction of skin against skin. Bracing his forearms on both sides of her head, Cloud leaned down to lick her breasts, making Tifa cry out in rapture. It was unreal; it had to be a dream, no one could possibly feel this good. Snaking an arm down to his chest, Tifa moved her hand across his well toned chest and abs. The taut muscle flexed under her touch as he made love to her.

"Cloud… faster… mmm… oh Gaia! Faster!" Her wanton demands grew needier as he sped up. Blunt nails scrapped his back leaving red marks, but they didn't hurt.

She began crying out his name more and more, before wrapping her legs around his waist to deepen the contact. Cloud instantly buried his head near her shoulder bracing himself with his forearms. She was almost near her climax. The way her inner walls would tighten against his cock gave way to how close she was from reaching her peak. He pulled one creamy leg over his shoulder and pounded into her endlessly until she came.

His name fell from her lips as she screamed out in ecstasy. After a few final thrusts, Cloud came, falling on top of her as he did so. The sounds of heavy breathing filled the rooms.

Lifting his head up, Cloud smiled at the woman before him. Tifa smiled back in return as she brushed his golden spikes back making Cloud close his eyes as he relished in the feel of her smooth hands.

"I guess this means that you'll stay with me forever."

Tifa's eyes widened at this. Was it true? Did this mean that she would stay with him forever?

"Cloud… I…" He pressed a finger to her lips silencing her from saying anymore.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoiled everything. Let's just enjoy the moment." Her eyes softened at his words, as he lay against her bare chest, an idea struck her.

"Cloud, how about you stay with me forever… in the city?" She waited for his response biting her lower lip as she waited in anticipation.

**Oh Dear God I made a lemon! O_o; I'll be honest… I've never made a lemon before. Ever. Period. So I am sorry if it's bad or is not anyone's cup of tea. Thanks for reading. I hope I didn't scare anyone off with the citrus. And I have officially shot my comfort zone and regrets. **


	6. Chapter 6: You're My Obsession: Part 1

**Hello everyone! **** Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I am grateful to all who have taken the time to continue reading this. I am fully better now and cured of the flu bug! Hooray! I won't dawdle so much on the note here, so I'll make it short, on to chapter six. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, more smut will be in here, just a forewarning to you all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

Chapter 6: You're My Obsession: Part 1

††††

"Hmmm… the outcome of this could be catastrophic."

Glowing green eyes scanned the Scientist's domain, opaque moss stained walls that surrounding the small laboratory that was omitted inside of the castle. Although he did not look it—Hojo was a great scientist, having a hand at creating the most powerful Lycanthrope of all…

Sephiroth.

"Ever Humble and obliged, oh my dear friend, what a tangled web we weave, Dost thou seek aliment from friend, or conquer thy foe thyself?" The brown haired companion spoke, his hollow steps echoing off the ruined walls of the run down workshop.

'_This cannot commence. I shall not allow it!'_ with an abrasive motion, the silver headed male stood before the professor, his eyes narrowed in concentration, begging—_pleading _for an answer to solve this problem.

Propping up his glasses, Hojo began to speak, earning the complete and utter attention of the beasts in his chambers.

"Yes… a most unique outcome in this arrangement. The blood of a mortal combined with that of an immortal. Most unusual indeed… Any fool would simply think that they would cancel each other out and remain human, but no—only a true genius such as myself could ever know what it truly shows! " The scientist shouted.

"With a soul and unbeatable strength, this creature could become one of the most powerful beings to ever walk amongst us. Imagine what new scientific explorations could be done? Hollander would be rolling in his grave at my discovery for such a beautiful being!" Hojo gloated.

"Enough. If this… _child_ is to be born… then it is impregnable, correct?" Sephiroth asked, briefly glancing at Genesis who loomed in the corner wearing a knowing look upon his face. Hojo confirmed this and began to turn to his formulas and work.

"Then… I know what must be done…"

Staring at the dark cloaked man's retreating form, Genesis walked out along with him. Sephiroth was adored by all, a man who had more strength than anyone they'd ever known—living or not. He struck all as a stoic, diligent, worker who cared for his people and led them bravely through many battles. Although he is not much for social activities, the Silver haired wolf had respect from all nevertheless.

"And _where, _might I ask, are you going off too?" Genesis inquired.

Without a second thought or stopping, Sephiroth waved his hand off as ignoring his friend.

'_A bastard child from Strife… a most amusing thought, but one that will not plague my mind any longer… Mother… only I can be immortal. You were the wisest, the strongest, the most superior then all these heathens… if I cannot have that right as God of this world, then no one can…' _

Unaware of prying eyes, Sephiroth turned a corner and went about to his study.

A red headed man peeked out from behind a door—signaling to his bald headed comrade that the coast was clear.

"A child more powerful than Sephiroth...?" the red head questioned, looking to his friend for an explanation—in which he merely shrugged in response.

"Lord ShinRa will want to hear this." He grinned.

††††

Aerith and Yuffie wandered back to the scroll room, holding candles firmly in their grasp as they marched on down the empty corridors.

"Aerith, what are you doing?" Yuffie asked in a hushed voice.

Signaling her to keep quiet, the honey haired woman pulled her friend into the abandoned scroll room, locking it behind them in the process. Checking to see if they were followed, Aerith set the candle down on a nearby desk, watching as her friend copied her movements.

"I just gave them a little privacy is all."

"…You didn't… you mean he—" Yuffie gawked at her friend's words, only to be cut off by a hand pressed against her mouth.

"—Shhh! They mustn't know! I was hoping to avoid intervening in _this_… but I just couldn't stand it! Please Yuffie, don't say a word." The soft spoken witch pleaded.

Pulling the hand that covered her mouth away, violet eyes casted a skeptical look to the begging woman.

"Aerith… do you realize what the consequences of this could be? Tifa is a mortal! A. _Mortal_. If Cloud and she did consummate, then who knows what could happen? You know just as well as I do that _all _Lycanthropes are permitted to have offspring until—and _only_ until after the changing ritual has taken place." The ash haired wolf chided.

Ignoring her friend's reasoning, Aerith clasped her hands together and smiled gently, thus confusing the short haired woman all the more.

"I know. But… what if I told you, that it could be changed?" dark brows shot up in surprise. Reaching into her bodice, Aerith revealed a crumbled note—aged and stained from the years it had been given use of.

"I found this a while ago." She smiled brightly as the note was passed to Yuffie who cautiously accepted it. Reading the decomposed paper, eyes that were once narrowed in confusion, soon relaxed as her dark orbs trailed the words imprinted. Suspense filled the room as Yuffie continued to read in silence.

"Well…?"

"I… I can't believe this… how did… when did you…?" words seemed to fail the reading woman as she re-read the lines over and over again, testing to see if they were a trick.

"Don't you see, with this," Aerith waved the paper frantically, "We can change everything!"

"Does… does Cloud know about this?"

"Of course! This is the moment we've all been waiting for." Yuffie's eyes lowered, a sickening feeling of remorse overcoming her.

"I sure hope Cloud knows what he's doing."

††††

Turning over to his sleeping mate, Cloud leaned forward near her neck to inhale more of her deliciously intoxicating scent. He was in pure bliss. The way her ample curves fit perfectly against him as they lied in bed made him believe that she was made just for him.

He couldn't fall asleep.

And why would he? What was there to dream of? He had everything he wanted here in bed with him.

The bed shifted in movement as Tifa scooted closer towards him, sighing contently when his arms circled around her protectively, assuring her that he was there for her—even in her dreams.

She was an addiction. His obsession.

Too long he had spent his days without her by his side like this.

Cloud smiled, as memories of the brave girl who saved him came to play. She was beautiful to him, a living work of art, for him to see—him and him alone. She was adored by all and yet was oblivious to it. He remembered the times he spent watching her play with the children in the village. Although they were almost the same age, they never once played together. His Mother always questioned him why they didn't—in which he would shrug. He couldn't talk to her or be seen with her. She was much too beautiful to be seen with such a disgusting, sniveling, brat like himself he thought. And so he kept his distance. But he would always—_always_ make his feelings known to her in a different way. His personal love letter—wool and dying materials, to pay homage to the warm scarf that she left behind. Ever a coward—he could never bring himself to face her and return it.

Yawning, Tifa turned to look up at her new lover. Through half-lidded eyes she smiled up at him, still not free from the embrace of sleep that was held on her. Blazing blue eyes glowed in the moon light.

'_What a pretty color… they look like Cloud's…'_

Her eyes widened in fear.

Shooting up from the bed, Tifa released a breath and bit hard on her lower lip to hold down the scream that was threatening to come up her throat.

'_How long have I been out?! Where's Aerith?'_

The pale haired man blinked in response to her actions. Scowling down at him, Tifa raised her hand, ready to strike, when a sudden chill hit her naked torso. Jumping in alarm, she yelped as her body fell off the bed side, backing away from the naked man that was smirking at her.

As Tifa shut her eyes tightly—bracing for the impact of the stone cold floor, she found a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, pressing her flush against a hard surface.

"C…Cloud…"

Tifa cursed herself for sounding so weak.

"It's okay… I've got you."

The way his warm breath blew against her ear was enough to send her into hysterics. Tifa distanced herself from him, wrapping the bed sheet around her to cover up from his roaming eyes.

"Tifa…"

He lifted a pale brow at the way she scooted uncomfortably away from him towards the edge. It was as if nothing had ever changed between them at all.

'_No matter what I do… she'll never see me more than anything than a monster… I'm not fit to protect her… I couldn't even protect Zack…'_

Tifa gulped as her eyes met under his gaze. His expression was unreadable, but through his crystal blue glaciers she could understand him.

What happened between them last night was something that neither one could go back on. Part of her was begging to go back in time and undo the events that had occurred. But another part… wouldn't take it back for all the gold in the world.

Had last night been a mistake?

As much as they didn't want to admit it, they needed that night. They both did.

Staring out into the starry night sky, Cloud guessed it was almost dawn. Turning his face to look at her again, the feel of someone pounding a hammer on his skull overtook him.

"Cloud? Cloud what's wrong? Cloud!" the blonde wolf fell to the floor on his knees as he clutched his head in agony.

'_Damn it… not here… not again…'_

White flashes impaired his vision. Images of scorching flames and smoke filled his mind. He could see it as clear as day. The nightmare that kept him from seeking slumber every night had returned.

_Night had fallen and all the village people were safely tucked inside their homes. Scanning the horizon, Cloud reported back to his commander._

"_Good job lad, it's good to know that we have a good healthy pair of young eyes watching out for us." His commanding officers voice boomed._

_Smiling in return at the elder man, Cloud headed towards the gate—on to thoroughly search the moors. The sound of a horse's neighs drawing closer as he set out of the village grounds._

"_Don't get to ahead of yourself there, Cloud. Wouldn't want you to wet your pants when a bandit strikes now, would you?" the horse's rider teased. _

"_Zack!" _

_Hopping down from his white steed, the knight grinned as he approached the blonde warrior. The knight flashed a toothy grin, at his friend. _

_Zack Fair was one of the most highly respected knights in all of the lands. His dark spikes and striking blue eyes always having the ladies swoon wherever he went, and with his signature scar near his jaw, it made all men envious of him and his rough travels that he endured. Zack was the only friend he had known._

"_Come along now, there's work to be done." Nodding in response at the Knight's words, Cloud quickly followed his friend/mentor's steps and proceeded to fulfill their duties. _

_Walking along the grassy road, they chatted along the way. Zack would tell Cloud stories about his life as a newly wedded husband to Aerith, and Cloud would tell Zack of his Mother and beloved Tifa._

"_Did you hear that?" Zack stopped, tugging his horse's reigns as he scanned the area._

"_No, why? What was it?" _

"_Nothing… just thought that I heard something…" Zack's voice trailed off. Shrugging, Cloud continued to walk._

"_There it is again!" Cloud whipped his head in his friend's direction. Pointing in the distance, Cloud squinted, adjusting his eyes to get a better view, but with the lack of light, even the full moon did little help to brighten the sky._

_The sound of crickets chirping was the only thing that could be heard. _

"_I don't hear anything Zack—" Both men's eyes widened as a distant howl was sounded. Breaking the fragile atmosphere of what was once a placid night._

"_What the hell was that?" Cloud looked to his friend for an answer, but received none._

_Drawing his large sword from behind his back, Zack held it out in defense, readying himself for an attack._

_The howling grew nearer._

"_Zack…"_

"_Shhh!"_

_Both two men searched the area around them, hoping to find the cause of these horrid noises. Placing his sword behind his back, Zack pulled at his horse's reigns and hopped on, having Cloud follow suit._

_Through the gallops that the horse made, Cloud could hear the sounds getting closer. Half way towards the gate the horse cried out and stood on its back legs, causing Cloud to fall back on to the ground at the sudden surprise._

"_Cloud! Are you alright?!" _

_Cloud cried out in pain as his back hit harshly against the grassy knoll. The insistent cries that the horse gave made Zack strain to hear of his friend's condition. Blue eyes peered down at a bloodied wound that was forming in the blonde spikes of his friend. Getting off his horse, Zack bent down to observe to deep wound, earning a groan of pain from Cloud. _

_Sighing in relief as his friend was alright, he laughed at the fright that he had been given, causing Cloud to laugh in return as well._

"_You really had me worried there for a minute. Stupid fucking horse probably scared of his own shadow."_

"_Yeah, yeah, are you going to help me up or what?" _

_Standing up to get his horse, Zack turned back to Cloud, smiling as he extended a hand out to him._

"_Here, let's get you off—AAAHHH!"_

_Cloud's heartbeat stopped. As a cold chill running down his spine at the sight before him._

_A vicious dark haired canine was savagely gnawing on Zack's jugular. Zack fell to the ground as the beast devoured and chomped its way at the skin and bone. Backing away from the two slowly, Cloud crawled backwards on his elbows until his legs could work and allowed him to flee._

"_CLOUD! CLOUD! OH GODS! SOMEONE HELP ME! AAAHHH! AHHH! OH GODS! GET THIS FUCKING THING OFF OF ME! CLOOUD!"_

_Cloud fled trying his hardest to ignore his best friend's cries for help. After running a yard away, guilt seeped its way into his body, and without another thought he turned and ran as fast as he could to save what was left of his friend._

"_Zack…"_

_A steaming pile of flesh and torn muscle laid on the barren ground, surrounded by a river of blood, the smell of the metallic scent filling the air. Cloud's body broke out into a cold sweat, convulsing at the sight of what was once his friend. _

_Before his knees gave way and buckled beneath him, the beast jumped out from the shadows and mauled him to the ground, preparing to give him the same treatment as Zack._

_Cloud felt pain seer through his arm as the monster's sharp teeth dug into his flesh. The animalistic sounds it made when it proceeded to kill him were horrifying…_

_Just as Cloud's eyes shut—prepared to meet the same fate as Zack, the monster roared in pain, before falling on its back besides its victim._

_Blue eyes fluttered open, meeting the vision of Kunsel—his commanding officer._

"_You…" he pointed at Cloud with a shaky hand, confusing the boy._

"…_you… you're cursed…" _

_Blue eyes widened in shock at his words._

"_You're inhuman… you're cursed…"_

_Cloud's attention turned to a naked man who had shoulder length black hair, and a bloody gash on the side of his ribs._

_Angeal._

_One of the most famous knights who had battled in all types of crusades was a monster… it couldn't be true. He was suppose to be dead back in Gongaga._

"…_Get out of here Strife…"_

"_Kunsel—"_

"—_GET OUT OF HERE!"_

_Ignoring the pain of his throbbing head and aching body, Cloud ran as fast as he could hoping to seek refuge at home with his Mother. _

_When he arrived inside the home, he was greeted by a worried look on his Mother's face. Brows furrowed in confusion, she stretched her arms out to her only son, and welcomed him into her embrace, listening to the sobs that he made. _

"_Cloud… what's wrong? Why are you hurt? Who did this to you?" The elder woman demanded, but Cloud kept quiet, focusing on his breathing in hopes to forget about what just happened._

_But life was not so merciful._

_A loud knock sounded at the door, puzzling both residents. Pulling back from her son, the blonde haired woman answered the door, meeting a mob that held torches._

"_We demand that bastard Strife to be killed!" one villager demanded, followed by the booming voices of angry people who all agreed to his cruel words._

"_I-I'm sorry but what's going on?" Cloud wiped his tears on the back of his hand, standing up he made his way towards the door._

"_That abomination must be killed; he bares the mark of a wolf!" _

"_If he doesn't die then we will all if he continues to live!" one woman cried out_

_The crowd began chanting obscene words, all demanding to kill the beast._

"_If you want him… you'll have to go through me first." Cloud heard his Mother say, as she barricaded the doorway with her arms to prove her point._

"_Mom!" _

"_There's the beast! Kill him!" the villagers roared as they all flung their hands out to kill the blonde haired boy. As they tried to reach out and grab him, Mrs. Strife counteracted their actions, blocking her son from their view._

"_Mom, don't!" Cloud cried out watching as Men and women tried to get inside the small house. Cloud watched as his Mother turned her head to the side, she told him to escape. To escape through the only escape they had—the attic._

_As Cloud climbed up the hidden ladder, he made it to the rooftop. Balancing himself, Cloud jumped to the ground, earning a sharp pain to shoot up his legs as he jumped. The pain was unbearable, but he had to deal with it. He had to. He needed answers; he needed to know what that monster was? And why was Angeal alive when they held a funeral for him claiming to be dead? Without thinking Cloud ran in the direction of Aerith's and Zack's home._

_Moving through alley ways, Cloud was almost there until the faint smell of smoke broke his concentration. Looking over his shoulder, Cloud watched as flames shot up in anger. He didn't have to guess to know where those flames were coming from. Not bothering to look a second longer, Cloud ran._

"Cloud! Cloud!"

A female voice called out to the blonde male.

Not knowing what to say or do, he grabbed the owner of the voice and pulled her into his embrace, crushing her against his form. He felt the woman jerk in surprise, gasping at the intimate expression, before relaxing.

"…I remember… I remember…"

His words were like a mantra, repeating over and over again "…I remember…"

'_Cloud…'_

Tifa wrapped her arms around the trembling man that was holding her. This was the second time that he acted like this. What was so traumatic that caused him to fall on his knees in an instant?


	7. Chapter 7: You're My Obsession: Part 2

**So once again, thank you everyone who has taken the time to keep reading this! I love you all! **** So… if anyone wants to be my Beta for this… feel free to ask. XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

* * *

Chapter 7: You're My Obsession: Part 2

††††

"_Cloud, how about you stay with me forever… in the city?"_

_Silence swept the room as she waited in anticipation for her mate's answer._

"_Tifa… I can't. I won't. I left that life for a reason… there's no escaping the sins of the past. It is all set in stone." The blond male sighed, withdrawing from his lover's embrace to sit beside her._

"_So that's it then? You're just going to turn your back on the real world because of something in the past?" Tifa questioned, watching the male beside her as he glared at her darkly, clearly irritated with her response. _

_She was not one to submit as easily, and she would be damned if she backed down now. This man had bewitched her, body and soul, and now that he had captured her, he wanted to deprive her of the only thing she had left…_

_Hope._

_Hope of escaping and leaving this horrible place to return home where she belonged; safe and sound._

_Rolling on to her side, showing her back to him defiantly, she pulled the duvet over her naked form. Cloud growled lowly before pulling her roughly on to him, crushing her chest against his. Making her squeak in surprise, at the sudden contact of skin against skin, this was something she did not want to feel right now. But the heated arousal was starting to make its way into her body, coursing through her veins as he held her tight. _

"…_I do not wish to talk about this right now. All that I care about is you and you alone. So please, Tifa, just give me this moment." With every word he spoke, warm breath would fan across the dark haired maiden's neck, making her heated mind go numb and her body tremble. _

'_Maybe he's right… I can ask him later…'_

_A yawn escaped her throat, as sleep seemed to claim her. There was something comforting about being held in Cloud's arms that made her forget her scorn and anger towards him. This was something that was quite puzzling to her._

'_Maybe I'm going insane…' she figured, but decided to forget her worries, as her eyes drifted shut and her vision grew dark, the sound of Cloud's heartbeat lulling her to sleep._

That was hours ago, now, the somber warrior laid in her arms whispering only two words.

"…I remember…"

With lithe fingers, she stroked his back soothingly, hoping to calm him down from his emotional state. His muscles growing more relaxed as she caressed him. It was a good thing he was beginning to calm down. The sound of soft cries ceasing as she comforted and stroked him. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it must have been tragic to make him go through this traumatic change. Especially for a frigid man—such as Cloud to cry and shiver in fear for reasons unknown to her.

"Cloud… what happened?" she tried, cupping his face as she lifted it up to her gaze. His eyes were red and glossy from the tears that he had shed, smoothing over the fallen bangs in front of his face. She waited patiently for him to give her a sign—any sign to show that he was better.

"…You question why I turned my back on the mortal life. But you're wrong; the mortal life has turned its back on me. I lost my best friend and my Mother… and in return for their deaths, I was given this… instead." He spoke as he removed the bandages that were around his arm, showing a scar that resembled large bite marks.

A gasp escaped her lips as she examined the wound. It was an awful ruddy color that contrasted with his fair skin. Reaching out with one hand, she gently stroked his arm, using light pressure when her fingers brushing over his ruined skin.

"…But maybe it's not too late. You're not a mortal anymore Cloud, you're a—"

"Lycanthrope"

"—R-right, and well… you can start a new life. You don't have to live here you know." She finished.

Cloud's blue eyes burned deeply into her crimson orbs, curiously staring at her as she gazed back at him. Moving forward as his face was mere inches away from hers he trapped her with his strong arms and continued to stare into her beautiful wine colored eyes.

'_W-well… this certainly is a change of events.'_ She gulped, as he leaned in closer.

"I thought you didn't care about me… what's changed your mind so suddenly?" he breathed, smirking as she quivered under his gaze.

"I-I-I don't care, but I mean I can't just watch someone suffer, can I. And nothing's changed my mind you… you're just bewitching me!" she defended, blushing as he gave a throaty chuckle, which she found very alluring.

'_Stop it! He's just after one thing! Oh dear Gaia… he's already had that… I… he…'_

"Bewitching you?" he questioned, cocking his head to one side, as he feigned innocence.

"I think that you are getting your fable's confused. Lycanthrope's do not bewitch,"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tifa's jaw went slack. He smirked at her reaction, setting her face a blaze. He knew that he caught her right where he wanted her, but who's to say that she would give him the satisfaction?

Fixing her stance, Tifa dared to look back into his blue eyes, challenging him in the process.

"You really shouldn't do that, it makes you even more adorable, especially if you are naked." He pointed out, watching as she scampered to pull the silk sheets around her body. Standing up proudly, unashamed of his bare form he walked towards her, placing his arms on both her shoulders firmly.

"Whether you approve of my decisions or not, I am meant to stay here. It's the way of the wolves, comitatus—the way we serve under one lord as his loyal warriors." He explained, perplexing Tifa even more.

"_Comitatus?_" she tried the word out, scrunching her face as she did so in confusion. Cloud only nodded in response.

"Well… why don't you take a holiday or something and enjoy the beauty of being human again. I promise you'll enjoy it." Tifa proposed. It was a simple solution. If he could not leave his_ Lord_ then he could certainly take a break from his life and relax, couldn't he?

Contemplating this, he weighed his options, was it right to leave? Could he? Would he?

"I cannot leave for a _holiday_… but I suppose I can make up some excuse to go with you. Just bear in mind that I still serve under my lord and if he chooses to decline my request, then so be it."

Tifa clasped her hands together, trying hard to contain her delight. This was it. Her only hope.

If she could get Cloud to take her back, then it was possible that he could _lose_ her and she could escape and never look back on this ever again. It would all just be a silly dream and mistake and no one would ever know.

"However," he started, clearing his throat as he spoke, "if you are to leave my side, or if you should get lost, then I will see to it that you will be _severely_ punished this time…" he threatened, causing Tifa to snap out of her thoughts.

"I promise." She vowed,

Holding her hand behind her back with her fingers crossed.

††††

When dawn had approached, the castle was as quiet as if no one existed in it. The once, loud and joyous people had now departed and everything was put back in place, showing no signs of a gathering having ever taken place.

The blue sky filled with the rising sun, welcoming the world to God's candle. Jumping out of bed, Tifa padded her way to the wardrobe, having the sheets ruffle and drag as she moved. She couldn't help it. She was ecstatic, and felt… glowing.

'_This is it. I just have to play by ear and hope that everything goes according to my favor today.'_

Picking out a dark red dress, Tifa quietly made her way towards the bed, to wake up her sleeping partner.

Bending down to observe Cloud's peaceful expression, she watched as he breathed in and out appearing as calm as she's ever seen him, unaware of the small smile tugging at her lips.

"Cloud… Cloud wake up…"

The blond merely turned to his side, ignoring the sounds of the female who tried to coax him out of sleep. With a sigh, she sat beside him on the bed, shaking him to wake up. She waited too long to leave this place and was all too eager to get out of here, she was not going to back down just because he felt tired.

"Cloud, wake up… please, we're going to the city remember? I can show you my home… and Father, and my friends. Please?" she pleaded shaking him in the process.

With a grumble, cerulean eyes fluttered open, taking in the sight of the beautiful woman above him smiling.

'_I can get used to this.'_ He smiled lightly, as he sat up, stretching his muscles to shake off any remains of sleep. Tifa couldn't help but gawk at the action. The way his skin was taught with large cords as they flexed mesmerized her. His hard abs stretching out, almost as if they were teasing her; along with his bare chest, gaining her attention all the more. He rolled his shoulders before, grabbing her and pulling her down on top of him.

"S-stop! Cloud, what do you think you're doing?!"

"What I want to do. Besides, no one will be awake for quite some time now… once morrow comes; everyone who has participated in the gathering is usually out cold until evening. We are an exception, because _someone_ decided to sleep earlier than expected… along with doing a few other things earlier than expected…" he muttered the last part, but Tifa heard every word of it, sparking her with anger.

"You… pompous… arrogant…"

"Now, now, why would you say such cruel things? If it's true what happened. I didn't force you remember?"

"N-no… but… you took advantage of the situation! Now… now I've sinned, I'm going to hell for this…" Tifa groaned, struggling in the firm grasp that Cloud had on her. He raised a brow at her, but kept his hold.

'_Women are such an enigma…'_ he thought, as Tifa struggled even more in his grasp. Tifa panted as he held her closer, cutting off her movement all the more. Glancing up to give him a dirty look, she noticed the smug look he had on his face and felt her blood boil at that. It seemed that the once cold and lonely boy had finally broken his façade and was now a smug and confident man.

Glaring at him, she felt a strange pressure apply to her lower stomach, making her quiver in shock… and _something _else, which she knew all _too_ well… With a simple shrug he grinned wolfishly, as his eyes displayed a feral attribute to them, making her heart flutter.

"You are mine now Tifa Lockhart, mine, and mine alone." He growled possessively, as he flipped her over on her back, with him on top. She was soon well aware of how naked and exposed she was to him, as the cold morning air blew on her porcelain skin.

"C-Cloud…"

Dipping his head low, he gently caressed her lips with his own, taking note of the pretty pink tint on her cheeks before he did so.

It was a simple kiss, showing that he cared for her and did mean well.

No doubt that he didn't regret the feelings that they shared last night or the bizarre treatment he gave her. But who could blame him, this was his first friend, first love, first… everything. And he was all too enthralled with the idea of to love and be loved in return. So what harm could there be if they didn't go according to the way relationships worked?

She gasped when his hands grazed her slender figure gently as the kiss soon deepened. Using one hand to trail along her waist, he soon found her soft mounds, kneading the bountiful skin as he licked her lips begging for entrance.

"Cloud, Tifa, are you awake yet?"

Both stopped dead in their tracks at the soft knocking on the door. Cloud gave a heavy sigh as he reluctantly got up to answer; wrapping the sheets Tifa had used to cover himself.

Opening the door, Cloud stood in the way of the small crack, blocking Tifa from view.

"Cloud, are you… _busy_?" Aerith questioned, knowing the answer already. The blond wolf remaining silent as he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"A-ah, well… I won't keep you too long, since you must have a lot to… take_ care_ of… but uh, I was just wondering if Tifa would care to travel to the city with me to pick up some herbal medicines, and such."

There was something all too cryptic that made Cloud well aware of what Aerith was referring too.

'_Why that sneaky…'_

"If it's alright with you that is." She finished, with a knowing smile.

"It's… fine. But I shall be supervising; I won't let anything happen to you two."

††††

Cloud had settled on taking Fenrir his most faithful black steed with him—although Tifa questioned why a werewolf would ever need a horse to travel, he ignored the remark and began preparations for living life among the day walkers.

"Are you really going to be taking Fenrir with you? I know you adore him so, but really Cloud, what in Shiva's name gave you the idea to ride with her behind you on that dreadful thing, and what about Yuffie and I?"

"Aerith—I know what I'm doing, just get someone to bring the carriage out, and someone to drive it. Gaia knows I can't handle the reigns and Yuffie at the same time."

Heading towards Tifa he pulled Fenrir by his side, the black horse neighing as it followed its rider.

Tifa waited patiently as she sat on a nearby hay stack, watching as Cloud worked diligently to get their transportation in order. Although the stables weren't exactly comfy to wait in, she would put up with anything at this point. After all, what was just one cruel moment of torture, compared to given a key to your freedom?

She fidgeted with the small straws peeking out from the sides until Cloud made his way by her. She was still uncomfortable being around him, after what happened last night… and this morning.

"We'll leave soon," he mused, as he held on to his horse waiting for their carriage and driver. Tifa gave a slight nod, not daring to look up at him.

It was so strange. To go from enemies to lovers in just the course of two days, it was all so new to her. She felt guilty for shying away from him when she had been anything but, she couldn't help it, they knew each other, yet they didn't. Perhaps this experience of living life in her shoes would amend the bridges between them?

Aerith came soon, along with the driver and carriage that followed soon behind her.

"Well, are we ready or what Cloud?" Yuffie piped up, eager to get going.

Cloud ignored her as he began to work on setting the horse up to the carriage, once Fenrir was on; the driver took his position, and let everyone know that it was time to get going.

The city life was not far from the ShinRa castle, Cloud figured it would take them at least an hour before they would arrive. He just prayed that something would put a damper in their plans enabling them from leaving the castle.

††††

"Here, stop right here, please!"

The wheels grounded against the cobblestone street, as it soon approached a complete stop in front of a tavern, with the words "7th Heaven" labeled on a wooden sign.

Without hesitation, the chocolate haired woman raced off inside, thrilled at the feeling of being at home. She scanned the area, seeing everything just as how she left it. The old squeaky floorboards squeaking under her weight, the 'Z' shaped scratch on her table—she missed it. She missed it all.

"I take it that you're happy to be back, huh?"

Tifa whipped her head around to see Cloud standing behind her, with Aerith and Yuffie observing her home. She knew that Cloud was uncomfortable about this situation, but she hoped that he could grin and bear it, for just a little while. Nodding soundlessly, Tifa stepped towards him, taking his hand in hers as she led him around her home to show him around, with her two friends following suit.

"This is the kitchen, which I'm sure you already know, and this is where I serve my customers." Tifa pointed, as she soon led them upstairs.

"…This is the guest room, in case anyone decides to visit—more specifically Marlene."

"Who's Marlene?" Yuffie questioned as she glanced inside the abandoned dark room.

"She's a dear friend of mind's daughter. His adopted daughter actually—but personally I don't think that it makes a difference if she is or isn't. Anyway, she comes by here once in a while to spend the night, not that I mind of course."

Leading them down the hall, she pointed out the last remaining rooms, being dubbed her room and "Father's".

"Will we be expecting your Father, anytime soon?" Aerith asked, but soon regretted it as a pained look soon took place upon Tifa's features.

With a solemn look flickering across her mahogany colored irises, she cleared her throat once, clutching Cloud's hand tightly.

"My Father… passed away last year…"

Cloud's eyes widened a fraction, at her explanation. His mind filling with questions as he paid no attention to the two females that gave their condolences.

'_Father? But she spoke of him living with her so who could…?'_

"Forgive me, but, you said you're _Father_ lived here." The honey haired woman spoke up, as If she read Cloud's mind.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to mislead anyone. Sorry everyone, I should have explained things more. What I meant to say; was that Father Valentine lives here with me." She smiled sheepishly.

Blond brows shot up in surprise.

"F-Father _Valentine_? You mean… _Vincent Valentine_?" Yuffie gritted out, completely in shock at the revelation.

'_How can this be? The most notorious villain to all Lycanthrope's everywhere living under the same roof as the woman Cloud loves?!'_

Casting a side glance at the blond who remained still like a stone statue, Yuffie shook her head. This was all too much. With a sigh, she managed to break the tense moment.

"Is it too late to head back now?"

* * *

**So I realize that I haven't updated in a while, and I am sorry to say that I have been very busy lately, due to Birthday parties and people going away. Who knew life came at you this fast? Anyway, please wish my friend the best of luck, because she is joining the army and will ship out to training. She is a very tender soul and I think that she is crazy for wanting to join—but I respect her decision. Please leave a review~**


	8. Chapter 8: Lacrimis

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, **** I've just been really busy lately. So I am sorry to leave you all hanging at the last chapter. But I'm writing, and I'm all alive and well. Also, writer's blocks are evil!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

Chapter 8: Lacrimis

††††

A heavy aura filled the room. As all three guests were sentenced to silence, each one had the same thoughts roaming through their heads; this woman had a bed and home opened up for a total stranger. Blue eyes narrowed in disapproval; however, the owner's actions did not go unnoticed.

The young dark haired maiden frowned at seeing the blond scowl at her. She could tell from the anger and concern that flashed across his orbs that what information she had provided them with was not to their liking.

Or more specifically… _his._

Sensing the heated tension, Aerith decided to speak up, pulling Yuffie along with her, as went to prepare a cup of tea, leaving the couple alone to talk.

"What are you so troubled about? Is it that much of a problem that I cannot have a child and a sick man stay in my home?" Tifa spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cloud remained silent, as he walked past her into the room besides hers. He scanned his surroundings of the bare room, showing no signs of it ever being preoccupied by anyone; and the fact that white sheets lied on top of the furniture made it even more unlikely. But the unknown scent that drifted in the air mixed in with his mate's beloved scent was proof enough. Pale hands formed into fists, as anger boiled inside of him, threatening to take over his actions and lash out at anyone.

"Cloud?"

The feel of a gentle hand placed on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts.

'_Whenever Vincent returns, hopefully it will be after I make Tifa mine.'_ The male wolf thought, hiding a small smirk from view.

Turning around to face the surprised woman, Cloud placed both hands firmly on her shoulders, as he stared deeply into her ruby eyes.

"Does Vincent arrive here very often?"

She gulped, staring only into the cerulean eyes as she felt her head slowly shake. The feeling of fear overtaking her as he gripped her shoulders more strongly, made her heart thunder against her chest loudly as he glowered down at her.

"Good. Very good." He trailed off, as the strong hold on her arms was released. Making his way out of the room, he waited silently for her to join him as he stood against the door frame.

Tifa raised a questioning brow at his strange behavior, debating on whether or not she should ask him. Deciding to ignore it, she traveled downstairs with him as they saw four cups of piping hot tea resting on the bar.

'_I have to play the part and act nicely to him. I have to, if I want to be free. Steady girl, just… breathe.'_ Tifa calmed herself, taking small sips from the hot beverage as to not burn her tongue.

Her cup made a small sound as it clinked against the wooden bar. The bitter tea and honey's taste still lingering, as she cleared her throat. If she wanted to play it smart, she would have to make up an excuse to coax Cloud in allowing her out of his sight, then she could escape through one of the alley's and hideout for a while.

"Umm… Aerith, if you want I can show you where the marketplace is. They have lots of herbs, potions, and other medicinal needs there."

Aerith smiled warmly, as she accepted the offer.

"I'm coming as well." Cloud spoke up, not surprising Tifa in the slightest. Trying to hide her excitement at her plan coming together, she gave a smile to the male.

"As you wish."

††††

'_Now don't get to ahead of yourself, you just have to keep your calm and pray that everything goes all according to plan.'_

"This way, I know this place like the back of my hand." All three heads turned to the mortal girl touring them towards the stone road.

"Ooh, Ooh, Tifa! Can we visit some of the jewelry stores later on?" the energetic wolf asked, bouncing on her feet as she waited impatiently for a response. Seeing the long dark haired woman nod her head she threw her arms in the air in joy, earning a light chuckle from Aerith at her friend' s childish display.

Sunday's were always crowded in the marketplace; no doubt that the streets were bustling with life as people bargained, traded, and shopped for goods. The odds seemed to be in her favor. As they fought against the crowd, she felt a tight grip on her hand. Looking down Tifa noticed Cloud holding on to her as they weaved in and out through the crowd; his blue eyes stirring something inside of her, as she caught his gaze.

"Tifa how much farther now?" Aerith asked, as she nudged her way in between two women to get near her friends, with Yuffie trailing behind, muttering curses at the people who argued over animal pelts as they obstructed her direction.

"Just a little bit more, I'm sorry."

"Well, alright… just make sure that we don't get lost."

In all truth, they had past the shops that they were looking for a while ago, but they wouldn't know that, would they?

After traveling around through the thicket of shoppers, luck was finally on Tifa's side.

"Wait! Aerith, Cloud, Tifa!" Yuffie called out.

Aerith and Cloud stopped immediately and rushed to Yuffie's aid, momentarily forgetting about Tifa. Not waiting for another second, Tifa took off in a sprint, shoving people to the side with as much strength as she could to get out of ear shot from Yuffie's cries of help.

Running down an alley, she waited to catch her breath. Her legs screaming in pain at the exercise she had done. Lifting up a hand to wipe the sweat from her brow, Tifa released a breath or air as she pushed her black silken bangs back. She peeked out to see if they were following, but could not spot blond spikes anywhere from within the sea of people.

"I did it… I did it…"

She couldn't believe it. She had survived this long, and was not subjugated to be their little pet any longer. The feeling of relief and happiness flowing through her, she slid down the cold stone wall behind her.

'_I can't believe it… I'm free. I guess that going home is out of the question, and no doubt they would talk to Cid and Barret. I suppose this means that I would have to be in hiding for a while.'_ Tifa began contemplating on what she would do now, unaware of the darken figures approaching her.

"What do you suppose of this Loz, a little mouse that's lost its home?"

Crimson eyes snapped up in shock at the dark voices.

Sephiroth's three brothers stood before her, with the short silver haired male in the front.

Tifa's short lived victory was crushed, as panic and fear took over. A cold chill ran up her spine as one approached her, unsheathing a sword as he held it out towards her.

"It seems that this town has a _vermin_ problem, I believe I can help them with that." The silver haired man spat, pressing the blade against her chest, right above her heart.

'_No. It can't end like this…'_

The man drew back his sword, ready to thrust in inside of her chest, Tifa's eyes widened in fear. Just as he was about to strike, she kicked her leg high and toward his crotch, causing him to fall to his knees and groan.

Quickly grabbing the sword from his weak grip, she successfully managed to pull it away from him. Standing up, she placed both hands on the sword, taking a stance as she waited for their next moves, although she was inexperienced with sword fighting, she hoped that they would not know that.

Both brothers glared at her as she held the sword in her grasp, pointing at either one of them, with their fallen brother slowly regaining his composure.

"It seems we underestimated her Kadaj, Strife sure did well when he picked his mate." The long haired man spoke.

"That's fine with me, I like a little fight in them, and it gives a better sense of thrill and enjoyment when you kill them," Loz grinned, drawing in closer towards her.

"If I remember correctly, you put up quite a fight too when we were at the castle didn't you?"

Tifa gritted her teeth, praying for Gaia to give her strength and not to let her die by these monsters.

"S-stay back! I'm warning you!" she raised the sword higher, moving the blade to point at each one. She wouldn't die here, not after all she's been through.

"Do you hear that, she's warning _us_?" Loz moved in closer, grinning darkly as he approached her.

"Stay back!"

"I'm beginning to think she has the upper hand here," The long silver haired wolf followed along with his brother's actions, as they cornered her.

"I said stay back!"

"_Enough_! I grow bored of these games." Kadaj reached out towards Tifa's slender pale throat, clutching it in his grasp as he raised her off the ground, choking her.

Tifa threw her head back as she fought to gain air. Her hands clawing at the strong grip he had on her throat. She thrashed and kicked, fighting as best as she could to get him to release the tight hold he had on her throat.

Her lungs were howling for air, as her head was growing lighter and her vision was beginning to black out.

'_Cloud… I'm sorry… '_

Kadaj watched as her body grew limp. Releasing his grip from her neck, he watched as her body made a sickening thump as it fell to the floor.

"You were very brave, I'll say that much, but I am afraid bravery will not get you very far in this world." Kadaj picked up his sword from the ground, and raised it above the dark haired maiden's neck.

A sudden feeling of pain shot through Kadaj's chest. Looking down at where the pain was at, he spotted a dark red gash of blood erupted from his sternum, the sound of his sword hitting the ground ricocheted off the walls. And with one final gasp of breath, Kadaj had fallen to the floor as a pool of his blood surrounded him.

Both brother's turned to see the blond spiky haired wolf bearing his teeth at them both, the evidence of his fist drenched in their fallen brother's blood had them fleeing.

Growling at their retreating forms, Cloud decided to let them go and would seek retribution later. His blue-green feral eyes took on a softer town as he saw his mate's lifeless form lying face down. Without a second thought, he picked her up in his arms, sighing in relief at the sound of her faint heart beat.

††††

Long black feather-like eyelashes fluttered open hours later, taking in the blurry vision of what appeared to be her bed chambers.

A soft groan of pain escaped her lips as she tried to sit up, trying to gain consciousness. The sound of floorboards squeaking alerted her that she was not alone. Ignoring the pain in her body, she sat up to lean over the edge.

Tifa frowned when she didn't see anything. Wearily sitting back up against the bed frame, she pulled her knees up to her chest as she felt a pair of eyes watch her every move. Slowly sliding off the edge, she put her leg on the wooden floor experimentally; the room was far too dark for her to make out anything other than the dimly lit candle that lied near her bed.

When nothing happened, she placed her other leg on the floor. Giving a quick look around, she slowly began to raise herself off the bed as she was nearly half way standing the squeak of the floor board rang in her ears, making her hair stand on end. Before she could speak, the wind got knocked out of her as she was suddenly flung onto the bed with both of her arms held above her head.

The sight of unnaturally blue green eyes piercing her own as her hands struggled for freedom. Hot breath blew in her face as her captor pressed his body weight into hers.

"C-Cloud! What are you—"

"I told you that I would have you severely punished if you _ever _escaped me." Cloud's voice sounded darker to her and made her panic even more. Staring up into his cold eyes she felt her heart drop at the realization.

Her eyes widened in alarm as she felt one of his hands grasp both of hers in a tight grip, as the other tore open her dress roughly. Cold sweat began to form on her snow white skin as Cloud continued to remove her clothing.

"Cloud, please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Tifa pleaded hoping to get through to him, and that he would stop what he was doing and forgive her.

"C-Cloud! P-please, stop!" she heard her voice come out in sobs as Cloud stripped her, with her tattered clothing thrown carelessly across the room.

'_Where the hell are Aerith and Yuffie?!'_ she desperately thought, as she felt his callous hand slide up and down her sides.

"Cloud! Please stop! I beg of you!" Tifa cried out, causing the werewolf to stop abruptly.

"Tifa…" He panted, as he let go of her arms. His eyes had returned to its normal coloring, as he stopped crushing her with his weight, allowing her to move.

Tifa sat up on the bed; pulling a pillow in front of her to hide her from him. It was strange, she should be furious with him. No, she should be fearful of him. But she couldn't quite know what to think at this point.

"Tifa… I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me." Cloud spoke, "It's just… when I saw you laying on the ground like that I…" his voice trailed off.

"Cloud… I'm the one who should be sorry. I took off on my own, I deliberately disobeyed you. I deserve to be punished." She finished, earning a startled look from him.

Not knowing what to say, Cloud lifted an arm to knead at the back of his neck. He didn't know what to do at this point, she was right, but he didn't want to carry outwith a punishment after what they just went through. The important thing was that she was alive.

"Umm… where are Aerith and Yuffie?" Tifa spoke nervously, wishing that she didn't sound so meek.

"They went back to ShinRa castle. I told them that I would watch over you, while they went after Loz and Yazoo." Cloud answered.

"Oh… I see…"

'_So that means that we're alone as well…'_ She blushed.

"I'll sleep in the guest room…" he mused, rising up from the bed he began to make his way out the door until a small hand tugged at his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Y-you can sleep here… I mean it's not as big or as comfy as yours, but it can fit us both and… I'm a little scared." Tifa felt her cheeks heat up as she spoke, looking down at the floor, not daring to meet his gaze. Cloud sat down on the bed beside her, holding in his joy at her not running and turning away from him after what had happened.

"Don't be scared Tifa… I'm here, and I'm sorry that I was late. I promise next time… I will save you," The blond haired male vowed, as he stared deeply into her eyes showing that he deeply meant what he said.

"You did save me Cloud, and… I'm sorry I ran away, It was because I was afraid." She saw as his brows knitted in confusion at her words.

"I… was afraid, because of _this_, of being a monster, but… I'm not afraid anymore…" Cloud listened to her every word as she spoke. The feel of her hand gently placed on the side of his face, smilinh as he leaned in towards her touch. They had been through so much, and were different worlds apart—at first that's what it had been. But it seemed that they weren't as different as they thought they were.

"Cloud, I love you…" Blue eyes widened in response.

He couldn't believe what he had just heard; it must have been a mistake. But the soft smile on her face and the look in her eyes that burned with deep admiration proved otherwise.

"Cloud, I love you," she repeated.

"Tifa… I love you, too." Cloud wrapped his arms around her, tossing the pillow out from between them as they embraced one another. He felt a deeper emotion for Tifa than he's ever felt for her before.

**Okay, so once again, I'm sorry for the late update! **** Please be sure to leave a review and thank you for reading! If there are any questions that you have don't hesitate to ask, I will be sure to get back to you on them ASAP!**


	9. Chapter 9: Conticuere

**Holy crap you guys! I am soooo sorry that I haven't updated in like… forever! **** Hopefully I haven't angered you all too much… Just had a lot of stuff to do and believe me I wanted to update Mortuum sooo badly but didn't have the time so… anyways, here's the update, and I promise to update sooner, now that school is over and done with. Big thanks to all who have supported and continued to read my stories.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix. **

Chapter 9: Conticuere

††††

The sound of the horses' fast paced galloping thundered through the dark night as the two females rode to ShinRa castle. Sephiroth's men had purposely tried to kill a lycanthrope's mate—something that was considered _high_ treason. For endangering the life of a mate was the equivalency of endangering the very race itself. Because of the never ending battle with the humans, the werewolves depended on reproduction as a key element of their survival; in which not any werewolf can seek a mate, but only of high ranking ones to ensure the blood line, and to establish a hierarchy as well. In such a case, anyone would be considered tried and punished by the council. But there was more to it than just notifying the council of the treacherous silver haired wolves…

"Aerith, are you sure it was a good idea to leave those two behind?" the younger companion questioned as they soon approached the dark ominous castle. Passing the guards, leaving the stable boy to tend to the horse, they women quickly went inside in seek of the council room, doing their best to avoid any contact with anyone else until they reached their destination.

"I'm sure they will be quite all right," Aerith reassured, grabbing a nearby torch as they walked down the darkened corridor.

"But you know Cloud, he can't control himself!" Yuffie argued, as they made their way up the stone stairs, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the walls with each step they took.

"It's alright Yuffie; I placed a higher containment spell on Cloud's lycanthrope powers. Right now we need to go to the council and tell them about Sephiroth." The pair soon traveled their way down the main corridor, unaware of the shadow that was trailing behind them.

"Tell the council about what?"

A cold chill filled the air as soft footsteps began approaching the two women that had froze in their tracks.

"S-Sephiroth…"

††††

Warm blue eyes scanned the face of his over's sleeping form, brushing a few dark strands away from her face. Being a creature of the night had granted him the 'gift' of sleepless nights.

'_Tifa… did you really mean what you said?'_

A familiar scent filled the air, alarming him as he possessively cradled his mate's body to his. The owner of the scent moved in a slow manner as they tried to hide amongst the darkness.

"I know your there, so you might as well come out…" Cloud paused waiting for a response, before he let go of his mate and turned to face the visitor.

"…Denzel…"

"Darn it! I thought I had caught you off guard this time Cloud!" The little boy pouted, coming out from the darkness as he faced his 'Brother'.

"And off guard you did," the older male replied, ruffling the younger one's hair. A light bulb went off in Cloud's head as he ceased his actions.

"How did you get here?"

Startled by the question, Denzel began to look at the ground, refusing to meet the crossed expression that was shown in the elder wolf's eyes.

"I… I hid in the back of the carriage…"

"Denzel!"

"I just wanted to see what the human life was like!"

As the two began to argue the sleeping maiden began to stir, causing both males to freeze. Sitting up she recognized the small wolf, suddenly wondering how he appeared.

"I'm sorry to bother you like this," The boy politely bowed, "…I just wanted to see how the humans lived. I didn't mean to disturb you or my brother, honest!"

Tifa smiled softly amused with the boy's apologetic appearance.

"Don't worry; you're not disturbing me," she reassured, surprising Cloud. A wide grin presented itself on Denzel's face as he thanked the kind woman.

"You can sleep in the guest room if you wish, or you can sleep h—"

Tifa found a calloused around her mouth silencing her from offering any further.

Once Denzel left the room to make himself comfortable in the guest room, Cloud released his grip from her mouth, annoyance present in his voice as he spoke.

"You sure have a soft spot for the young…" She heard the male remark, causing Tifa huffed in response.

"What did you want me to do Cloud? Tell him to sleep outside like some creature?"

Silence fell shortly after, making the couple uncomfortable in each other's company. Subconsciously wringing her fingers together, Tifa realized the mistake she had made.

"…I am not angered with you. I am just concerned for my brother's well being. He should not leave the castle; you don't understand the repercussions that would take place if he were to be found out."

Cloud turned his body away from hers as he slung his lean legs on the wooden floor, his head bent down low in deep thought.

"You're right. I do have a soft spot for the young," Tifa responded as she gently placed her hand on his forearm, not surprised when he didn't react to her touch.

"It's just an old habit I guess… its part of the reason why I'm up to my neck in debt…"

Turning to face her, the blond wolf looked at her in confusion.

"I… I didn't know if you knew or not…" she began, shying away from his piercing gaze. "But I pretty much owe a lot… But I can't help it. Seeing someone in need…" The raven-haired woman lowered her gaze to the bed sheets that had circled around her waist, finding them to be the most interesting thing at the moment as she spoke. Reaching out to her face, the blue eyed warrior lifted her chin giving her an expression of reassurance.

"I know…"

A soft gasp escaped her lips, as she stared deeply into the blue oceanic orbs that seemed hypnotic.

'_Of course he would know… he cares about you…'_ a voice spoke in the back of the young girl's mind making her snap out of her trance.

"I can reassure you… that whatever debt you owe will be taken care of once you come to live with me at ShinRa castle. You have a chance to escape this life Tifa, to come with me… forever…" Cloud breathed, as a warm liquid pooled within Tifa's belly, making it harder to resist the wolf's tempting witchery. Before Tifa could speak, the sound of a door slamming startled them both. Baring his sharp canines, Cloud growled in defense at the intrusion as he got up from the bed ready to kill whoever dared to disturb his time alone with Tifa.

"M-maybe it's just Denzel," He heard his mate suggest, but dismissed the thought. For a new scent had filled the air, one that unknown and yet hauntingly familiar; the scent carried an air of dust, dried blood, and something akin to oil…

The once icicle blue eyes turned into a greenish tint as he recognized who the stranger was. As the blond wolf approached the brass doorknob, he soon found himself pushed back with an unnatural force. Tifa screamed in surprise, holding the covers closer to her chest as her door was kicked open. Growling in annoyance the werewolf glared at the enemy before him.

"Hello Tifa," the sound of a gun being cocked was omitted throughout the small room.

"V-vincent…" the maiden was aghast as she stared at the pale Father who was dressed in his usual dark attire, with red bandages covering his head, failing to contain the loose ash hairs that cascaded down his shoulders. His piercing blood red eyes glared at the wolf before him as he spoke with his weapon aimed at Cloud's heart.

"I suggest you leave now… It only takes one silver bullet before your dead. And one bullet, is all I need to kill you with,"

"It's been a long time… Vincent… " Cloud smirked, circling the man predatorily. Matching his opponent's stance, Tifa watched as the two men glared at each other, each one getting ready to be the first to spill the blood.

'_They can't be serious… I have to stop them!'_

"Cloud! Vincent! STOP!"

But neither one listened as both opponents began to battle. It started with a gunshot which made contact with the far left wall missing the wolf as he pounced at the dark man, holding him by the throat, as he lowered his head ready to kill.

Leaping out of bed Tifa, flung herself at the blond wolf, pushing him off her dear friend.

"Stop it! Both of you!" but her pleas fell on deaf ears as she felt herself being rolled onto her back, watching as her lover attempted to claw and bite the dark haired man. It wasn't until Denzel came in; standing in the doorway that Tifa began to really feel fear.

'_Denzel!'_

The small wolf stood staring as he froze in fear, watching as his brother was thrown to the back wall near the dresser by a kick from the dark haired man.

'_Damn it…'_

Hearing the bullet being ready to fire, Tifa ran to Vincent, holding up the gun, as he shot at the ceiling instead, missing the perfect aim that he had on the blond wolf.

In an instant the fighting had stopped, the sounds heavy breathing being heard as both men stared at the women between them. Running to her side, Denzel clung to Tifa's side, holding back the tears as he tried to erase the image of his brother almost dying in front of him.

"Out of my way Tifa…"

"No. I'm not letting you hurt him."

Cloud watched in amazement as he sat up, wiping the blood from his mouth, he slowly got up, and walked behind the dark haired woman who was brave enough to stand between them both. Narrowing his eyes at the creature behind his friend, Vincent lowered his weapon.

"Tifa I don't understand why you are defending that _monster_," the dark haired man spat, "He is a demon, an abomination to all things good itself… an outbreak against nature—"

"—Enough! He's not a monster… he's… he's different…" Cloud blinked in surprise, watching the woman keep a straight face as she argued.

"You do not realize what dangers you have succumbed to do you?"

"I do,"

"And yet you want to defend him?!"

Defend him?

Did she really care about Cloud after all? Here was a perfect chance to side with Vincent and be rid of this horrible nightmare. But yet here she was defending her captor.

Looking through the blood red eyes of her friend she nodded her head. Cloud was taken aback by this scene before him.

'_She really did mean it…'_

Searching her eyes for a few seconds, the pale man gave an exasperated sigh, moving his weapon into his red coat pocket.

"Just know that if you ever harm her Strife… I will make sure that you will die a slow and excruciating death…" he warned before leaving.

Hearing Vincent's travel down the stairs, Tifa ran after her friend, leaving a dejected Cloud and confused Denzel behind.

††††

"Vincent! Wait!"

Stopping dead in his tracks, the dark haired man turned to see the rushing woman come to him, folding her arms around her body, tugging on the fabric of the night dress, from the slight chill she had from the cold floorboards.

"I know you mean well… and you have been a close friend of mine for a while now… but, I'm asking you not to worry."

"Not worry? Tifa, you were lying in bed with him! Gaia only knows what other lecherous things he could have done with you by now!"

An image of her being nude and on display beneath Cloud came into her mind, causing her cheeks to stain with red.

"I-I can take care of myself!" the man chuckled in response.

"I certainly hope you can Tifa," placing his hand affectionately on her shoulder, he took one long last look at the woman.

'…_I really do…'_

The man released his hand from her shoulder and began to make his way out the door.

"Where will you go?" he heard her ask,

"Don't worry about me, I have some _business_ to attend to…" he replied, without looking back at her as he closed the door behind him leaving a confused Tifa behind.

"Mysterious as always…" she said to no one in particular. Feeling a tiny pair of arms around her waist, Tifa looked down at the small brown haired boy.

"Thank you Tifa, for saving my Brother, and being with us…" looking up at the blond man leaning against the wall with his arms across his chest, Tifa took notice of the hurt expression that lied on the man's face. Returning her attention to the smaller wolf, she gave him a bright smile as she patted his head, leading him back to the guest room, tucking him into bed.

"Are you sure you'll be able to sleep alright?" She asked as she pulled the sheets over him getting ready to return to sleep herself. Upon seeing the boy nod, she smiled one last time before closing the door quietly behind her.

"You'd make a great Mother…"

Turning to see the blond haired male standing beside her, TIfa felt her heart skip a beat at the compliment.

'_How long had he been standing there?'_

"T-thank you…" she answered trying to keep the blush that threatened to present itself. Smirking in response, he followed her as she made her way into the bed chamber.

††††

Feral eyes stared at the two women, as neither one dared to speak, he grinned to himself at their fear.

"I shall ask once more, what are you planning to tell the council about?" Yuffie felt the drops of cold sweat starting to make way as he glowered down at her and Aerith.

"We know about your true intentions Sephiroth… and we plan to stop you." Aerith spoke, breaking the silence as she held his gaze. He smirked in response as he gripped his sword tighter.

"And pray tell—what would that be?"

"…We know about your plans on murdering Tifa, so that you will remain as the only half-blooded lycanthrope." The smirk fell from the silver haired man's face as Aerith spoke.

Both Aerith and Yuffie felt their hearts race as the silence returned once again, waiting impatiently in suspense for what the treacherous wolf would say next.

What happened next was in slow motion, so _unbearably _slow for Yuffie. She saw it all happen and did nothing but stand there in fear as she watched it all happen. The only thing she saw was darkness.

Just pure darkness…

With a dark smile, Sephiroth withdrew his sword, not bothering to even clean it he walked away to the library to join Genesis.

"Well?"

"We shall now show this world… the Lycanthrope's true power…" The silver haired monster smirked as he looked at the crimson that stained his blade.

"Now that you've killed the witch… what plans do you have now? Without her, all Lycanthrope's will be free, like releasing a beast from within its cage," Genesis looked at the stronger wolf's face, unable to read his expression, "There would be no way for us to control ourselves."

"Exactly."

**Okay so once again, sorry for updating really late! DX But here it is! Will update a lot sooner.**


	10. Chapter 10: Sanctum

**Thank you everyone for all your wonderful favs, follows, and reviews; you have all my blessings! :D Anyways, I just want everyone to know that I will be updating a WHOLE lot sooner. Also if there are any more questions or concerns feel free to let me know! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they are all licensed under Square Enix.**

Chapter 10: Sanctum

††††

The visions of shadows moving and carrying something were blurred, along with incoherent words being spoken.

In an instant, the world had blackened.

'_Where am I…?'_

Feeling the cold stone floor against her hands as she began to sit up, dark eyes automatically shut closed in pain; wincing when her hand was brought up to her left temple. Slowly bringing her hand to her attention, the memories flooded back when she was faced with the dark crimson liquid that seemed to be tainting her pale skin.

"No… n-no…" sobs began to erupt form her mouth, as she felt her heart wretch. Moving her arms to wrap around her legs, the young girl began to break down, not caring if others saw the state that she was in.

It was unavoidable.

Once one tear had fallen, all of her thoughts, feelings, and emotions had been poured out. Images of the kind soft spoken motherly figure that she had gotten to know and look up to almost all of her life flashed though her mind.

No matter how hard she tried to forget… it still haunted her.

The way Sephiroth took one swift strike, and the way Aerith…

'_Sephiroth…'_

Clenching her fists tightly onto the verge of drawing blood, her somber attitude had taken on the bitter form of a deep hatred for the silver-haired man. The mere mention of his name building her resentment all the more…

"Miss…"

Yuffie was startled by the voice that called out to her— glancing up at the tall, stranger that was cloaked in red. Rubbing her eyes, to see that the strangers hand was outstretched to her; showing her that he was there to help. Her eyes traveled up the large pale hand that offered her help to the smoldering crimson eyes that softened at the sight of her dark violet ones.

Noticing the small white flakes that were falling from the clouded grey sky, she took the strangers hand as he helped her up, feeling herself become embarrassed at the warmth that his ouch provided as he removed his coat and placed it upon her shoulders, shielding from the first of winter's snow fall. Muttering a small "Thanks" as he began to lead her to shelter, Yuffie wrapped the large blood-red coat around her as they proceeded to head south down the cold emptied street.

Vincent hadn't known why he had taken her in.

He knew that this girl was a Lycanthrope, from all the hunts and battles he had faced in finding said beasts.

He would always describe them as having the sickening smell of blood and sweat.

Then why did he help her if he hated her kind so very much so?

Perhaps it was the ways she seemed so…

'…_much like her?'_

††††

Waking up with a small stretch, Tifa made her way out from underneath the covers, shivering as the cold hard floor came into contact with her skin. As she approached the small window, her eyes shined in amazement at the first snowfall; remembering the days from when she was a child, playing in the cold, powdery, snow with her parents.

"I miss them…"

She continued to stare out into the white blanket that covered all of Midgar, as the quiet footsteps behind her went unnoticed. Feeling the strong taut arms wrap around her shoulders, Tifa remained silent, as she continued to stare out into the distance longingly.

Cloud grew worried at Tifa's silence. Neither one speaking as they both stared outside in to the vast land.

Breaking the silence Cloud began to speak, "It's not like you to keep your feelings to yourself…" Tifa felt his breath on her neck, as his hands slipped on to hers giving them a light squeeze; showing her that he was there for her.

"…It's just the way I am…"

Her body was turned around in an instant, as he cupped her face with both hands to make her meet his gaze. In an instant her heart was pounding rapidly, as he stared deeply into her amber orbs. His ice blue eyes gave her a hardened look, as the expression on his face made her feel like a child about to be scolded by their parent.

"No… you're not that way. You're much stronger than that…" Her eyes widened at this, as she was captivated by his oceanic eyes that made her marvel at how one could possess such a beautiful color.

Finding the strength within her to open up to him, she debated on whether or not to take a chance at this "new love" that they shared for one another. Sure they had experienced the physical part of love; but it has no meaning—no feelings—if the emotions between two people is not reciprocated. This was all so new to her and she had no idea where to start.

"Cloud… I'm not like you, I… I don't even know where to start…" she heard her voice shake as she spoke.

"Tifa… I would never hurt you, **ever**." He spoke, watching as his expression soften.

"And I don't want to hurt you…"

He began to lower his hands to hers, grasping her much smaller ones for dear life as he proceeded on.

"Then trust me."

Smiling lightly at his words, her heart fluttered upon seeing his lips pull upwards into a smile of their own.

"Alright then Cloud, I trust you."

††††

Upon arriving down stairs shortly after changing, Tifa began to do chores as she did any other day before the tavern was open, and by her guess, it would be filled rather quickly due to the cold weather conditions. Watching the young maiden busy herself with household duties, the two males gave each other a look.

"Tifa, why are you working on a day like this?" Denzel questioned, as he prepared to eat from the bowl of rice porridge that Tifa had made for them for breakfast.

Setting the broom against the wall, the raven haired woman grabbed a cloth and began cleaning off the tables in preparation for the evening.

"I guess you could say that it's a habit of mine." She giggled.

'_It's almost as If I never left…'_

"Well… I thought we could spend the day outside…" The young boy pouted, as his clear blue eyes stared into the empty bowl placed before him on the table, making the woman's heart fill with guilt.

"That sounds like a good idea." Tifa blinked in surprise at the blond.

Standing up, he walked over to where the unmoving brunette stood, watching with as she clutched the small white cloth to her chest smirking in response at seeing her dumbfounded expression. Turning her face away from his, she huffed. Darting his eyes back and forth between the two adults, with an excited cheer, Denzel grew excited more and more at the idea of beginning to live a normal life. At least what he thought was a normal life.

††††

As soon as they had left the house, Tifa had Cloud escort her and Denzel around the town. Neither one brought up the events that took place of the day prior, but was implied that for sure there would be _something_ in store for the tavern owner if she much as left the wolf's side. But this silent threat was of no concern for the young woman, as she had decided to take a leap of faith following this man.

"Tifa!"

All eyes turned to see a small girl who looked no more than eight, watching as her short chestnut locks flew in the wind as she ran up to hug her dear friend. The delightful squeals and giggles erupted from the small child as the older woman enveloped her into a tight hug, counting her stars that she could see the girl once more.

"Where have you been? Papa and Mr. Highwind went to your home but they said that you weren't in there." Marlene asked, as she took notice of the way the way the ash haired woman's eyes slightly widened. Tilting her head to see two strangers that were standing by her partial caretaker, the young girl stared at the two with curiosity. Noticing where she was staring, Tifa straightened her stance as she introduced the two boys to her.

Marlene watched as the younger boy averted his eyes away from hers, sparking her curiosity all the more. But what had really gotten her attention was when she was introduced to the Blond haired man, as she quickly hid her self behind Tifa's legs as he began to lower himself to meet at her level.

"Sorry she's kind of shy." She heard Tifa apologize, feeling a hand on her back as a way to encourage her to talk.

"Are you Tifa's boyfriend?"

The blunt question had shocked Tifa, feeling herself heat up at being under Cloud's observance. He gave a small chuckle and patted the chestnut haired girl's head.

"I guess you can say that." Blue eyes met with dark brown ones, causing a gasp to release from Tifa's lips.

"W-where's your Father at?" Cloud inwardly smirked at the woman's change of subject, watching with playful eyes at her bashful persona that she had put on, finding it adorable.

"Oh, right! He said that he was going over to Mr. Highwind's place, and that he would be back in a while. But Tifa, how can I stay inside when it's snowing?" Releasing a small laugh, Tifa offered to take the young girl to where her Father was. Upon receiving a small nod, the girl joined up with the group, following in stride next to Denzel.

"Do you like the snow?"

The young boy remained silent, replying with only a small nod as he kept up with his brother. Blinking in response, the girl smiled and continued walking with the boy hoping that she would make yet another friend.

††††

"I do not see how you can find this so amusing, Sephiroth."

The silver haired monster ignored his companion, as he was far too busy to partake in such a tedious conversation. It was elementary, no—mere child's play. And it very much delighted the Lycanthrope.

Giving a slight grunt as his friend continued to write on the parchment paper, Genesis walked over to examine the letter that Sephiroth was so absorbed in.

""…an issued address of a full out war?" Have you gone mad?"

A dark grin appeared before the vicious wolf's face.

"If we are to live in a world where genius is considered a perversion, then what hope do we have left for our kind?" Genesis's eyes furrowed in confusion at the iron haired man's words; with a slam of his fist on the writing table, he nearly broke the run down oak table in half as he glared down at the calm man who remained still at his actions.

"I grow tired of these riddles! What exactly are you planning?" he gritted out.

Raising his head, Sephiroth sat in silence, as his eyes had seemed to glow into a brighter shade of green. A sickly shade of green— a kind that had in sparked fear into the eyes of so many men.

"Patience my dear friend, for all good things comes to those who wait."

Retreating back into his stance, the brown haired male stormed out of the room, slamming the door in the process.

Hiding in the shadows in the corner of the corridor, a red haired man peeked out from his hiding spot watching as the brown haired wolf fled the scene in anger.

"_Lord Rufus would want to hear about this. But first…" _with a slight head nod, the mysterious man signaled to his partner as they both pressed into one of the stone's to the red head's left, and within seconds the wall had turned sending the two back into their secret chambers to deliver the message.

A dark haired man with hair down to his shoulders stood before the two men dressed in his usual dark robes.

"Were you seen?"

The bald headed man answered with an affirmative "No". It was a question that all of Lord ShinRa's spies were asked whenever they were on recon.

"Are you certain? I would hate to execute you and Reno from the organization if—"

"—it's alight Tseng, gods, if we were caught so easily then why would we be here?" The red head rebuked, shrugging his shoulders as the dark haired man scowled in annoyance.

"Be that as it may, what intelligence have you discovered?"

"Not very much, but I we have a feeling that Lord ShinRa would be very interested in Sephiroth's plans," Tseng directed the two to follow him down the hall to the dungeon's stairway, carrying a torch as they traveled down the cold, wet path.

"It's beyond me why Lord Rufus allowed for that guy to take the throne, I mean, what with his fucked up mind, it's just a miracle from Gaia herself that everyone here isn't hacked up into little pieces."

"Reno, It of great importance that you do not question Lord ShinRa's plans and ideas, you're lucky he is not here to hear you speak so ill of him." Tseng responded.

"But what's the big deal, yo? Why is Sephiroth in charge?"

"Sephiroth is on a great level of power, one in which no werewolf of human can kill. Not to mention the fact that he is a creature designed by Hojo. What with his skills being honed by that crazed lunatic father of his, it would be of great ignorance to fight for the throne against a monster like that. That is precisely why we will wait. Wait until the timing is right. For as a Turk is our job to ensure the safety of all ShinRa blood relatives."

Reno whistled in amazement from his fellow cohort, "Had no idea that the world rested on our shoulders." His partner merely sighed.

This was the burden of all Turks. To gather information, intelligence, and any plans authorized, commanded or carried out by Sephiroth. As Rufus ShinRa had stated, "Every King has his reign, and then he dies. It is inevitable. It is inconceivable. It is the natural order of life and then we go on. But until that time will come… we will lie in wait, until a new king will rise."

††††

Great cheer surrounded the small town home of Cid Highwind. As Barret had brought along his good ale as a means to celebrate for the blacksmith's latest invention, that would surely be of great use to the people of Midgar.

"So when am I going to see this "Great Invention"?" the dark skinned man laughed, giving a hard pat on the back of his friend, causing him to almost choke on his drink.

"Patience, I haven't even gotten the fucker shinned up yet. If I am going to sell this hard piece of equipment, I better sure as hell make it look like it was designed for the gods don't I?" the blacksmith answered. Before he could take another swig from his glass, the bell had sounded off alerting the men of company.

Without turning around to see the guests Cid automatically responded, "We're closed, can't you read?"

"Not with your writing, I'm surprised people can even manage to find this place."

Wiping his head around ready to tell this arrogant prick off, the blond haired man felt his words fail him as he recognized the dark beauty in front of him.

"Tifa?! Where in the hell have you been girl?" Both men nearly ran up to their female companion, stopping short as they noticed the man and small boy beside her.

"Papa!" Barret snapped out of his stupor as he bent down to hug his daughter, encircling her in his arms as he swung her around.

"Now what are you doing here? I thought I told you that I would be back in a short time and that you were to stay at home," The little girl's eyes lowered as she heard her Father's scolding voice.

"I'm sorry, but I just couldn't especially, when it's snowing outside, and besides… Tifa was there so I wasn't in any harm." Taking a quick glance at the maiden, Barret kissed his daughters head as he set her down.

"Uh… Denzel how about you and Marlene go play for a while," Tifa asked politely. Nodding his head, the younger boy felt his body jerk forward as the girl led him into the back room, leaving the adults alone.

"Now… I want the whole story Tifa," Barret started, Tifa opened her mouth to speak, "and I want the truth," clamping her mouth shut in response, the young woman glanced down at the ground.

A pregnant pause blanketed the room as the two shop owners waited for the woman to speak.

All men's eyes were on Tifa, watching as she twiddled her thumbs, struggling to come up with a response.

"You…you want the truth?" she heard herself ask, surprised at her lack of voice. Seeing the man in front of her nod, she took that as her cue to continue on.

"The truth is…"

"_Oh gods, how do I go about telling them about Cloud? Wait! Why would I tell them about Cloud? They wouldn't understand, just look at how Vincent reacted…"_ Lost in her train of thought, Cloud decided to speak up.

"I can reassure you that she was in no harm." The tall dark man eyed the blond stranger suspiciously as he spoke.

"And just who do you think you are? You expect us to believe so pretty boy like you shows up after a woman's been gone for over a day and say "She was in no harm"?! You've got a lot of nerve…" Barret gritted, balling his hands into a fist as he spoke.

"It doesn't make a difference if you believe me or not…" Cloud coolly responded, hearing the man give an incoherent response as he began to sputter.

"Why… why you…" Tifa put her hands up in defense as she saw the older man begin to step towards Cloud's direction.

"Barret—listen to me, I'm fine. I… just went to… visit an old relative of mine, that's all." Tifa practically yelled as the large man approached the blond warrior, hoping that her explanation would calm down his temper.

"Well then what's he doing here?" he asked, glaring down before him.

"Who? Oh, you mean Cloud? He's my uh… cousin. Yes, my cousin!" Cloud and Barret's eyes widened in surprise, as they both turned to look at the woman next to them.

"Cousin?! He doesn't look a thing like you…" Black eyes scanned the blond male searching for a mark of evidence.

"He's a distant cousin. You see… I was in need of an escort in going back home and he offered to help me, and in return I promised him a home." Taking one last glance at Cloud, Tifa sighed in relief when Barret believed her.

"Well… alright, but you listen here, if I so much as see you touch her, It'll be your last. Got it?" Cloud scowled in response at the man's threat.

Pouring himself another glass full of alcohol, the blacksmith wrapped his arm around the startled young woman.

"What are we waiting for then, now that Tifa's back, we got nothing to worry about, come on let's celebrate!" Cid cheered before chugging down his drink. With a sigh, Tifa gave a strained smile as her friends proceeded to drink heartedly.

"Come on Tavern wench give us something good, I've got a bottle of good rum somewhere." Obeying the orders, Tifa searched through the cabinets in the small pantry until she came across the glass container that held the dark liquid. After pouring two glasses for her friends, she turned her attention to the spiky haired male leaning against the counter in front of her.

"What will you have?" she asked smiling coyly.

"Give me something hard." He grinned as she began to pour the contents in to the glass in front of him. Grabbing the drink he proceeded to chug it down, slamming it down on the counter.

"Try not to get to intoxicated. I would hate to see my cousin spend the next morning spewing his guts out." Tifa joked. Cloud shrugged at the comment, as he held his glass out for refill.

Only time would tell how long this happy lifestyle would go on for. As no one was aware of the danger that soon befall on them.

**Sorry for the wait but here's Chapter 10! Review, Fav, Follow, it's your choice. Questions, comments, or concerns are much appreciated. **


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